Fireborn
by kage no seikatsu
Summary: Koizumi Kiruma is different. She didn't choose to be, she didn't want to be, but she is. And a certain silver haired ninja seems to always be getting in her way, until... he isn't. Slow burner, no pun intended KakashiOC
1. The Fire

1 - The Fire

Kiruma loved fire. She loved its color, the way it moved, even the smell of smoke that came with it. She wasn't a pyromaniac; at least, that's what she told herself. She didn't like lighting _things _on fire, she just liked watching it. It was almost an obsession. That was why, on that particular night, Kiruma had stolen the matches from the cupboard downstairs and was lighting them one by one, watching in fascination as matchstick after matchstick was burned to a crisp. She held each one until the flame seared the tips of her fingers and she was forced to drop it. Blackened splinters littered the floor once the matchbox was empty and she tossed it into the trash with a sigh. She glanced at the match in her hand. Only one left. She decided to save it for later. She jumped, startled, when she heard the front door slam open. She sprung to her feet and threw away the matchsticks, hiding any evidence that she had been playing with fire. Her parents despised her newfound obsession. They said it was dangerous and that fire was a thing to be hated. It just destroyed and only accidents occurred because of it. Of course, she paid no heed to their warnings, instead keeping her fascination to herself. The only one in her family who didn't mind her love of fire was her older brother, Yuuko. He didn't really like her messing with fire, but instead of telling her to stop, he taught her how to use fire safely so that she wouldn't accidentally burn the house down. She opened the door to her room and poked her head out, wondering who was home. Her mother was downstairs preparing dinner, so it was either her father or her brother.

"Haruka, why isn't dinner ready?" her father's voice carried throughout the house. Kiruma frowned. He didn't seem to be in a good mood that night.

"It'll be ready soon," her mother replied, walking out of the kitchen with her wooden spoon still in hand.

"Why don't you relax until then, alright?" Her father scowled angrily.

"You shouldn't be telling me what to do in this family!" he growled sharply.

Her mother put her hands on her hips, frowning slightly.

"I didn't mean to offend you-"

"I'm not offended! My own wife shouldn't be telling me what to do in my own house!" Kiruma stepped out of her room and closed the door behind her, freezing in place when both her parents' heads snapped towards her at the sound.

"Kiru-chan, wash your hands for dinner, okay? It'll be ready soon," her mother instructed her, turning to go back into the kitchen.

"I'm not done talking to you, Haruka," her father demanded, grabbing her upper arm to stop her. Kiruma took a step towards them, frowning slightly. She was worried.

"Otou-sama," she called quietly. He either didn't hear her or chose to ignore her.

"_Otou-sama," _she said, a bit more forcefully. His eyes shifted to glare at her.

"Let go of Ka-chan."

There was a silence.

"Oh?" her father responded, his voice deadly.

"Talking back are we?" She wavered slightly as he released her mother and started walking towards her.

"She wasn't trying to tell you what to do," Kiruma insisted, though her hands were trembling slightly. She had been hit by her father before, but only when he was drunk. Never when he was angry and sober. And never when her mother was home. She wondered briefly which would hurt worse.

"Wasn't she?" her father answered calmly, though his eyes were flashing angrily. "What would a child like yourself know about the adult world?"

Her mother took a hesitant step forward, ready to step in between them.

"Sh- she was just giving you a suggestion," Kiruma stammered, trying to keep her face calm. Her father raised his hand threateningly and Kiruma flinched, squeezing her eyes closed in anticipation of the strike. When no pain came, she opened one eye only to see her mother immediately close the gap between them, grabbing the back of her daughter's shirt and dragging her back out of the way.

"Ka-chan?" Kiruma questioned in surprise as her mother stood in front of her protectively.

"Kiru-chan, do as your told and go wash your hands for dinner," her mother told her quietly, releasing the back of her shirt.

"Your father and I need to talk."

Kiruma backed away slowly, looking back and forth between her mother and father.

"Hai," she answered reluctantly, before turning on her heel and leaving the room. Knowing it would be a while before dinner would actually be ready, Kiruma slipped out through the back door of her house, deciding to go for a walk. She took a deep breath of cold air, exhaling with a sigh. She wished Yuuko were there. He would make her feel better. It was nearly seven o clock, but the streets still had a few wandering pedestrians and families, some going out for dinner and others heading home. Konoha was a lively place at night. She shoved her hands into her pockets and kicked a pebble down the street. She didn't like the cold. She got cold even when it was just breezy, maybe because she became so used to being around open flame. Speaking of which… she took out the match that she had stored in her pocket earlier. She ran off a side street into the forest, not wanting wind from being in the open to put it out. She leaned against a tree, shivering as the cold from the bark seeped into her shoulder. She dragged the match against a piece of bark and the flame flared brightly, lighting up her face. She watched it, transfixed as the small glow devoured the stick. Normally she would hold the match until the flame seared her fingertips, but to her surprise, it didn't burn her when it finished the match. Her eyes widened when the little flame stayed lit, dancing on the tip of her finger. It didn't spread across her hand or burn, but a light tingling sensation shot through her fingertips. She breathed a small sigh of awe as it flickered there. She had no idea what she was doing or how she was doing it, but the fire itself made her feel better, and made her stop shivering.

She heard a quiet whistle and jumped in surprise as a kunai came out of nowhere, speeding through the air and pinning her to the tree she had been leaning on. The flame immediately flickered out.

"Who's there?" she demanded, reaching up and grabbing the kunai. She tried to yank it out of the tree to no avail. It was really stuck. A boy walked towards her, arms crossed over his chest. He stopped a few feet from her, black eyes bored.

"Who're you?" she asked rudely, glaring at him.

"That's my line," the boy answered coolly. "You were making so much noise I thought you might be an intruder."

"I wasn't even moving," she spat back at him. The boy shrugged, eyeing her coolly.

"Regardless, you interrupted my training."

"Yeah? Well you interrupted me too," she snapped. She had just discovered something amazing, and this boy, who couldn't be older than six, had started chucking knives at her.

There was a silence where both of them glared at each other.

"Why don't you free yourself, then?" he asked. She blushed in humiliation but refused to back down.

She gripped the kunai and yanked on it, but the weapon didn't give at all. She gave it another sharp tug, but it was no use. That thing was imbedded in there and wasn't coming out anytime soon. The boy sighed.

"What a nuisance." He walked towards her and she scowled at him, not wanting his help. She braced her hands on the tree and pushed herself forward, ripping a large hole in her shirt.

"No need to rip your clothes," he said calmly. He stopped in front of her, his face less than a foot from hers, eyes practically boring holes in hers as she glared right back at him. He grasped the kunai and dislodged it with a sharp tug, placing it in his pocket. She fell to the ground with a startled shout before getting to her feet.

"I didn't need your help," she snapped, irritated. He looked down at her coolly. She had to remind herself that the only reason he seemed so tall was because his silver hair stuck up like a troll. She wondered briefly what he would look like if she set his hair on fire. It was a tempting prospect. His eyes watched her, the lower half of his face obscured by a mask. He twirled the kunai around his finger, raising an eyebrow.

"I suppose red hair runs in your family?" the boy asked, pocketing his kunai and looking her up and down.

"I suppose troll hair runs in yours?" she shot back without hesitation. He ignored her comment.

"…It matches your temper." Kiruma put her hands on his chest and shoved him away from her, hard. She turned on her heel and stomped away heatedly.

"Stupid ninjas," she muttered under her breath. She could feel his black eyes boring into her back, but she didn't care. She never was good at making friends, and she wasn't going to start now. She slowed down when she reached the road. It was getting dark. Hopefully by now her parents had stopped fighting and dinner would be ready. She approached her house slowly, somewhat reluctant to go back, when a flash of movement caught her eye. A small creature was hiding behind her house, nose snuffling through the dirt. She crouched down by the animal and its head snapped up at the sound she made.

"Hm? I didn't think there were any dogs around here," she muttered to herself. The puppy was small enough to fit in the hood of her jacket, which was strange to her, because he looked to be some kind of German shepherd, and those kinds of puppies usually weren't this tiny. His fur was matted with mud, and his paws were cut up and bleeding, probably from running until the pads of his paws wore out. She picked him up by the scruff of the neck until they were eyelevel. There was a silence as she and the dog just watched each other. Brown eyes staring into ash grey ones. His tail wagged slightly.

"Nobody wants you either, huh?" she sighed. Even as she said it she knew it wasn't true. Yuuko liked her. Maybe even loved her. And her mother tried to, it was just hard to balance out the family's relationship with their father sometimes. She frowned at the puppy.

"Your name will be… Dog." His tail drooped. She scowled.

"Sorry I'm not more creative," she muttered defensively. She set the puppy down and he laid on her feet, immediately covering her shoes with mud. She sighed.

"Kiruma-chan?" Kiruma whirled around to see her older brother standing behind her, a confused look on his face.

"Nii-sama!" she exclaimed. Yuuko glanced at the puppy.

"Who's that?"

"This is Dog," she answered impassively. Yuuko snorted.

"You can't name a dog 'Dog', Kiruma-chan. And you don't even know how to take care of one, do you?"

"So? Dog is used to being on his own. I'll train him to do all sorts of things." She put her hands on her hips, glaring fiercely at her older brother. He smirked slightly.

"I don't think Otou-sama would be very happy having a dog in the family." They both fell silent, knowing Yuuko was right. Sensing her disappointment, Yuuko put a hand on her shoulder.

"Ne, Kiruma-chan, how about you name him Apollo? Apollo was the god of the sun in Ancient Greece, and you like things that have to do with fire, right?"

A smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"You're such a nerd, Nii-sama."

He lightly poked her cheek and she punched him in the shoulder, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Let's go home," he suggested. They turned and walked towards the front door, Kiruma shoving her hands into her pockets for warmth.

"What were you doing out so late anyways?" Yuuko asked, watching her curiously.

"Otou-sama almost hit me while Ka-chan was watching, and she told me to leave." Kiruma wondered briefly if she should tell Yuuko about her recent fire discovery, but decided against it. It might have been a one-time thing, something she would never be able to repeat. Yuuko scowled, then suddenly stiffened. He grabbed Kiruma's shoulders and spun her around to face him, his dark eyes watching hers intensely.

"Kiruma-chan, what do you mean 'while Ka-chan was watching?' Has he hit you otherwise?" Kiruma watched her brother warily, a bit unnerved by the dark fury in his eyes.

"Of course not," she lied, pushing his hands off her shoulders and crossing her arms. "I didn't mean to make it sound like that."

She wasn't sure if Yuuko believed her or not. He was quiet for a long time.

"Alright, let's go inside."

Kiruma opened the door and walked inside her home, gasping as a plate hit the wall right next to her, breaking with a loud crash. Her father stormed into the room, his face red with anger, and whirled around. His eyes narrowed when he saw Kiruma standing in the doorway.

"You…" he thundered dangerously. "Where have you been all this time?"

Kiruma felt Yuuko shift slightly in front of her, but she stared around him, facing her father. She didn't need his protecting and she hated looking like she was scared, even if she was terrified.

"I-I went for a walk," she answered as calmly as she dared. Heart racing, she watched her father's face darken.

He strode towards her, grabbing her by the wrist and lifting it above her head, hard enough that her feet almost left the ground.

"Liar," he snarled at her. He glared at her mother, who was standing on the other side of the room, eyes widening in horror.

"You have raised our daughter to be a liar," he spat at her.

"Otou-sama," Yuuko ordered darkly, his eyes murderous. "Put Kiruma-chan down."

Father and son glared at each other for what seemed like hours.

"Respect," their father snarled eventually. "This family needs respect." Kiruma struggled against her father's grip. He smelled like alcohol. She hated that smell. She hated what it made him do. Her father pulled something out of his belt and their mother gave a gasp of horror.

Kiruma didn't recognize the object in his hand. It was black, shaped at an angle, and her father was pointing it at her brother, whose eyes had widened slightly.

"Haruka," he addressed their mother. "If you don't teach our son some respect, I will." He made the object click once, presumably for emphasis, and Haruka flinched at the sound.

"Leave, Yuuko," she ordered.

"But, Ka-chan-" Yuuko protested.

"Don't talk back to me!" her mother's voice suddenly had a desperate note in it.

"Leave, and don't return until… until you've gained some respect for your father." Even Kiruma could tell that her mother didn't believe in her own words. Yuuko's hands clenched into fists, hesitating.

Kiruma watched her father aim the object more carefully, and she panicked. She didn't know what it was, but it terrified her mother, and if that was the case, she did _not _want it used on her brother.

"Don't hurt him!" she yelled at her father, trying to tear her arm out of his grasp.

He looked at her in wild anger, setting the object down for a moment and hitting her across the face, hard. Her vision was tinged with red for a moment, and suddenly a familiar tingling sensation ran through her arm. She saw the barely traceable hint of a flame race across her wrist. She heard her father give a startled shout and drop her, clutching his hand. His face was contorted in pain.

"Yuuko!" Their mother yelled. "Get out of here!" Yuuko gave a reluctant nod, turning and flying out the door, leaving it ajar in his haste.

"Haruka, this is your fault! It's your fault we have a demon child! She burned me! Look at this! She burned me!" He snatched up the object and aimed at Kiruma, eyes full of murderous intent.

"You're not my daughter," he snarled, pulling the trigger. An earsplitting crack rang through the air as Haruka threw herself at Kiruma, pushing the shocked girl out of the way just in the nick of time. Kiruma felt a shrapnel of metal slice through her lower neck near her collarbone and pain exploded through her upper shoulder. The weight in her hood lessened as Apollo fell from her hood to the floor, jumping to his feet with a startled bark.

Her mother stood and ran to the other side of the room while her father made the object click again, eyes narrowed in an insane fury.

Kiruma froze, unable to move. She felt unshed tears building in her eyes and she tried to stumble back, away from the terrifying weapon her father held. Apollo nudged his nose into her hand, whining slightly. She froze when she heard a shattering noise. There was a moment of absolute silence. Her father's eyes bulged. Kiruma's mother was standing behind him, a broken bottle in her hand. Her father slowly fell to his knees, then to the ground, unmoving.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on my daughter," she whispered quietly. She dropped the bottle and ran to her daughter's side.

"Kiru-chan, baby, are you hurt?" Kiruma clutched Apollo to her chest, eyes wide and trembling as the puppy licked her chin.

"Come on, we're staying somewhere else tonight," she encouraged gently, scooping up Kiruma in her arms.

"N-Nii-sama," she protested weakly. "What about Nii-sama?"

Her mother smiled reassuringly at her, though it somehow seemed false.

"I'm sure Yuuko will find us later, okay?"

They stayed at a small hotel in another part of Konoha, away from their home. Kiruma gave Apollo some water and food, promising to clean him up as soon as he finished. She could hear her mother making phone calls, discussing plans to go to Iwagakure. Kiruma wondered why her mother would even consider moving when Yuuko hadn't found them yet. She was worried about him, but she knew he was strong. He could probably even take out that troll haired kid she had seen earlier that day. She brushed Apollo's fur, using warm washcloths to get rid of all the mud and to clean his paws, amazed at how much mud had been matted in his fur. She brushed through each section of fur until it was soft and silky. Once clean, he really was a beautiful dog. Of course, Kiruma probably would have thought that even if she wasn't a dog person. He watched her with big brown eyes, pink tongue lolling out of his mouth.

"Kiru-chan, you're hurt," her mother said suddenly, entering the bathroom. She took out the first aid kit and gently started cleaning the cut on her upper shoulder.

"Who's this little fellow?" she asked kindly, smiling at Apollo.

"Apollo," she answered after a moment. "I'm taking care of him."

"He's a little guy for a german shepherd," she observed quietly.

"Mm," she agreed.

"No mud on the carpet, okay, baby?" Kiruma's eyes widened, a smile of excitement lighting up her face. She knew that was her mother's way of saying she could keep him.

"Yes ma'am," she answered immediately.

Her mother put a bandage on the cut and kissed her on the forehead.

"We'll leave tomorrow, okay?"

Kiruma nodded. She had a weird feeling that she wasn't supposed to ask about Yuuko. Suddenly the phone rang, making both of them jump. Her mother answered it and Kiruma walked over to her, curious. She could hear the other line easily. The man's voice was loud and official.

"Hello?"

"…_speaking to Koizumi-san?"_

"Yes that's me."

"_We are afraid to inform you that your husband was found deceased in his home. As of now the authorities believe it was a suicide-"_

The phone slipped from her mother's hands and fell to the floor.

"_Koizumi-san? Koizumi-san?"_

The voice cut off as her mother terminated the call.

"Ka-chan?" Kiruma asked hesitantly. Her mother took two steps back, sitting on the bed slowly. There was a faraway look in her eyes.

"Did you… did you kill Otou-sama?" Kiruma's voice was hesitant. Death was still something that was a bit of a mystery to her, but she did understand the general idea that it was something you didn't come back from. At the word 'kill', her mother flinched, her hands starting to shake a bit spastically.

"Ka-chan?" Kiruma kneeled in front of her mother, taking the woman's hands in her own. Her mother didn't answer. She seemed devoid of hearing, as if her very spirit had left her body. She started twitching, first her face, then her hands, and then she was shaking spastically, having some sort of seizure. Kiruma paled, terrified, when, just as suddenly as it had started, her mother froze.

"Ka-chan, answer me," Kiruma begged, getting to her feet. Still no response. Apollo padded into the room, his fur still damp. He licked Haruka's hand, but again they received no change. Her mother was in shock, completely oblivious to her surroundings.

"Ka-chan!" Kiruma shouted, holding her mother's hands to her chest. "Please! Say anything!"

When she got no answer Kiruma fell to her knees, leaning her head against the edge of the bed. She tried to calm down. _Think, Kiruma. Think. _

Her father was gone. Dead. Yuuko was missing, and that meant her house was empty. Tomorrow she would take her mother and Apollo back there. She needed to find Yuuko, and she needed to help her mother get better. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling tears slide down her face. She was so scared. She looked at her hands, watching as the tingling in them started again, sending small flickers to her fingertips. _What am I? _She wondered, cringing at the memory of her father calling her a demon child. She didn't know what was wrong with her, and that was the least of her problems.

She set the hotel alarm, promising herself that she would go back tomorrow and everything would be okay. It just had to be.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

**Author's Note: I'm not sure if this story will make it, but I hope you enjoy regardless. Any and all feedback appreciated.**


	2. The Responsibility

2 – The Responsibility

Kiruma walked down the streets of Konoha, Apollo padding next to her quietly. She didn't need a leash, knowing she had trained him to behave better than that. It had only been a month, but so much had changed. Running a hand through her uneven, layered red hair, she glanced left and right, wondering who would hire someone as young as she was. She had realized pretty quickly that she would need to earn money for her family. Young as she was, she wasn't stupid. Several places had already turned her down, saying that she was too young, but she knew it was also because of her appearance. Dark grey eyes and short red hair made her look like a delinquent whether she was one or not.

A small tea shop caught her eye and she approached it slowly. She glanced at the worn sign. _Help wanted, _it read, and then underneath in smaller letters, _kendo dojo in back._ It didn't say no dogs allowed, but Kiruma didn't want to risk it. She turned to Apollo.

"Wait here," she instructed. He walked to the corner of the building and sat, watching her with intelligent brown eyes. She nodded in approval and walked inside, peering at her surroundings. The little place wasn't crowded, but a good number of customers were passing through for tea and coffee. She glanced at the man behind the counter. He was an incredibly tall man with spiky white hair and a laugh that could be heard even from the farthest corner of the room. His eyes were black, but he had peculiar red markings near his eyes. Despite the hair color and the crinkles around his eyes, Kiruma got the impression he was much younger than he seemed.

"Sir," she addressed him, forcing herself to be polite. It was more difficult than she had anticipated. He looked down, blinking in surprise when he saw her.

"Oh? What can I do for you, eh?" he asked kindly, his dark eyes smiling at her.

"I'm looking for a job."

He didn't seem surprised like the others had, or if he was, he hid it well, but he folded his hands on the counter and grinned sheepishly at her.

"Already, eh? My, my, the over achievers get younger and younger every year, don't they?" She didn't answer, hoping he wouldn't waste more of her time. She needed to find a job today.

"You're too young to be a waitress here, but here's what I can do," he suggested, resting his chin on his hands.

"If you read the sign out front, you know that we have a kendo dojo in the back, eh?"

She nodded.

"Then how about you come in the mornings to clean equipment and get ready for the day?"

She nodded seriously.

"I will do whatever work you have for me," she promised.

The man clapped his hands together.

"Wonderful! Then we can discuss details on your first day. I expect to see you tomorrow morning at six o clock sharp!"

She nodded, a bit vexed by his enthusiasm. He gave her a few papers to fill out and she took them and left, giving a short whistle to call Apollo. He immediately trotted to her side and she frowned at the forms. Their house was pretty small, but even so the pay from this job wouldn't last long. She glanced at the ninja academy as she passed it. Ninjas made better pay than most, especially since their income was based on the jobs they took on. Perhaps she should consider that as well. It would take time, but if it paid off it would be worth it. There was also the fact that she would be starting from scratch. She had no experience in military practices. She remembered the troll haired boy she had met a month earlier. He had pinned her to a tree with a kunai on instinct, and he had looked like he was the same age as her. Was that the kind of training it took to be a ninja? She grimaced. She hadn't even been capable of pulling the kunai out of the tree. It was already August, so if she wanted to enroll in the Academy she would have to do it now. She made her decision.

"Looks like we're making one more stop, Apollo."

The registration forms required a parent's signature, but Kiruma had mastered that two weeks ago once she had accepted her mother wouldn't be coming out of her condition any time soon. She filled out the papers and turned them in immediately, leaving them in the school's information box and heading home.

"Ka-chan, tadaima," she called out of habit when she walked in the door. She didn't receive an answer, but she hadn't expected one.

"Welcome home, Kiru-chan," she answered herself as she entered the kitchen. Her mother was sitting at the kitchen table where Kiruma had left her, hands folded tightly in her lap and eyes looking out the window, staring blankly at nothing. She sighed and went to the stove to make lunch. She set the steaming plate in front of her mother. Her cooking was still bad, since she didn't exactly have someone to teach her, but she was slowly improving just from having to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the two of them every day.

She sat across from her mother with a tired sigh.

"So, I decided to join the Academy," she remarked, starting a one sided conversation. Her mother stared past her like she wasn't there.

"Thought it might be a good idea to start earning money around here, so I got a job at a kendo dojo and decided to be a ninja."

Her mother moved so quickly she seemed to vanish before her eyes, appearing in front of her and grabbing her shoulders, looming over her daughter with a haunted look in her eyes. Kiruma froze in shock and fear. Her mother hadn't had a reaction like this to anything she said for years.

"No," she rasped, her voice raw from disuse. "Not a ninja. You can't be one." Her mother shuddered at the word as she uttered it, and her fingers were digging into Kiruma's shoulders painfully.

"_Anything _but a ninja," she droned, shaking Kiruma slightly. Her shadowed eyes were wide as saucers, watching her with terror.

"F-fine," Kiruma quickly answered, trying to placate her mother while simultaneously repressing the terror that jolted through her chest. "I- I won't become a ninja."

Her mother flinched violently at the word 'ninja'.

"I won't," Kiruma assured her, regaining her composure and gently guiding her mother back to her seat. As if in a trance, the woman sat back down like nothing had happened and resumed staring out the window with a faraway look in her eyes. Kiruma's heart was racing. That reaction had been so sudden, it had almost been like a ghost had possessed her mother before leaving as quickly as it had come.

"Ka-chan, can you hear me?" Kiruma asked softly, standing next to her mother. She took her mother's hand and pressed it against her cheek, hoping for some sort of reaction, anything, to let her know that the loving mother she had once known was still there, but there was nothing. Her mother was an empty shell of the person she used to be.

The next week, Kiruma was officially enrolled in the academy. She made breakfast and left like she had every day, Apollo trotting at her heels. She didn't tell Ka-chan. She was scared. Scared that her mother would have another seizure and hurt her again. The bruises that had formed on her arms from her mother's grip were still sore. She was steadily growing worse, almost completely bedridden now, but there was no way Kiruma could stay home. Someone had to earn enough money to keep the house. Her mother was out of the question, and despite Kiruma's desperate efforts, Yuuko was nowhere to be found. There weren't many better paying jobs than those that involved the military. That was, if you were successful. Kiruma intended to be. Of course, successful didn't necessarily mean she had to get along with the other kids.

She walked into her class confident, knowing that she looked arrogant but not caring. She knew she looked like a troublemaker. If she didn't act tough then she would get picked on. That was easy to see from the way the other kids eyed her warily. She didn't have the time nor the skill to put up with bullying, so she always ended up acting sarcastic and outright rude. She knew it wouldn't earn her many friends, but at least she wouldn't get messed with near as often. She glared icily at a boy sitting in one of the seats near the back.

"Move," she snapped. He hurriedly grabbed his bag and left the seat, sitting on the other side of the classroom. She took his seat and dropped her bag next to the desk, pretending to be oblivious to the stares of a few curious students.

"Hey, what's your problem?" A demanding voice asked, making Kiruma glance up in boredom. A black haired boy with orange goggles on his face was glaring at her, hands on his hips. He wore the signature symbol of the Uchiha on his outfit.

"Problem?" she asked, expression disinterested.

"You can't just tell people to leave their seats like that!" he growled.

"Can't I?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Just sit down, Obito," one of the other students hissed, making him clench his fists.

"Give Genma his seat back," he demanded, glaring at her. Her wicked smile widened.

"And if I don't?"

"Then… then I'll make you!" he insisted.

There was a silence as heavy tension filled the air.

"Oh really?" she asked quietly, her voice dangerous. "I'd like to see you try, Goggles-san."

His teeth clenched.

"Why you-!"

"Everyone, please take your seats," their teacher's voice interrupted them.

Gritting his teeth, Obito reluctantly turned and sat in a seat near the front, crossing his arms.

"Everyone listen up," he ordered, crossing his arms over his chest. "From here on out all of you will address me as Ichiro-sensei. Nothing more, nothing less. Understood?"

There were several nods.

Ichiro-sensei took out a clipboard and a pen.

"Everyone listen for your name as I take roll." His voice was deep, almost guttural, and radiated an ominous sense of seriousness that seemed to permeate the classroom.

"Gekko Hayate."

"Hai."

"Might Gai."

"Hai!"

Sensei rattled off a list of names before coming to one that made Kiruma choke.

"Hatake Kakashi."

"Hai," the familiar voice droned from next to her. Her head whipped to the side. Sure enough, the silver haired boy that had confronted her in the forest was sitting right next to her, warily watching her from the corner of his eye.

"What are _you _doing here?" she hissed at him. He glanced at her, uninterested.

"I could ask you the same thing."

She scowled at him. Of course this guy would be in the same class as her. Just her luck. She glanced at Apollo, curled in a ball under her desk. He opened one eye to look back at her before closing it again sleepily.

"Koizumi Kiruma."

"Hai…" she answered, trailing off.

He ended with Yuhi Kurenai, and with that class began. Kiruma chewed the end of her pencil thoughtfully, already making it her goal to 'accidentally' light Kakashi's head on fire the first chance she got. The first day was relatively simple. Handbooks were passed out to them, and the first chapter assigned to be read by tomorrow so that they could practice its contents. There were a few minutes given for everyone to get to know each other, and Kiruma glared at anyone who dared come near her. Friends were troublesome. She couldn't have people walking her home, or even knowing where she lived. If anyone found out the condition her mother was in, they could be separated, and she would absolutely not let that happen. At least, not until Yuuko came home.

Girls were completely surrounding Kakashi, practically gushing over him. Kiruma rolled her eyes. So he was _that _guy. She swore every class had one. One of those guys who had all the girls fawning over him while he pretended not to care. Kiruma glanced at her handbook, planning on flipping through it until class was over, but one person ignored her glares and stood in front of her desk, arms still crossed.

"So," he began, glaring down at her challengingly. "What's your reason for being a ninja?" She glanced up at him, remembering him trying to pick a fight with her earlier. This boy was Uchiha Obito. She'd vaguely heard of the Uchiha, something about how they had special eyes. Judging by the goggles he wore, there _was_ something… _special. _

"Got a death wish, Goggles-san?" she shot back icily. He ignored her.

"_I'm _going to become Hokage," he announced, pointing to himself proudly. "Just wait and see."

She rested her cheek in her hand and continued looking through the book.

"So," Obito insisted again, shoving his hands on her desk. "It's your turn. Why do you want to be a ninja?"

She closed her eyes slowly.

"Who knows?" she answered coolly.

"KAKASHI~!" One of the other students, Kiruma remembered him as Might Guy, bounded through the girls to Kakashi's desk, much to their displeasure.

"Please accept me as your eternal rival!" Some of the girls outwardly protested as they were pushed away from the silver haired student.

"No thanks," Kakashi answered tonelessly, returning to his reading. Guy practically deflated.

"If that is truly the case, then please inform me of your reason of becoming a ninja!" Guy insisted.

Kakashi sighed quietly, closing his book with a snap.

"It runs in the family," he muttered, putting away his book and standing.

"Tch, bet that attitude gets passed down father to son as well," Kiruma muttered, earning her several nasty looks from the girls that had heard her.

"Oi," a pretty girl with brown hair and purple marking on her face said quietly. "You can't talk like that. Kakashi's dad isn't around anymore. He passed away just a little while ago."

Nohara Rin. That was this girl's name, she recalled.

"So?" Kiruma answered, raising an eyebrow. "It'll be good for him. Everyone has to grow up eventually."

Rin's hands clenched into fists.

"How can you say something like that?" she demanded. Another girl with wavy dark hair and striking red eyes tugged on Rin's arm and pulled her away.

"Don't listen to her, Rin-chan," she said reassuringly. "I'm sure she's just a spoiled rich girl that doesn't know what it's like to lose someone."

Apollo gave a quiet growl from beneath her desk and Kiruma glanced at him, wondering if he was dreaming before looking up to study the black haired girl. Her last name was Yuhi… what was her first name? It sounded like a kunai, but she couldn't quite remember. Huh. Usually her memory was better than this. Kiruma nodded sarcastically.

"I'm sure that's it," she answered, eyes narrowing. The black haired girl glared at her before dragging Rin away.

Once class ended Kiruma had to run to work to get there on time. She had gotten out a bit later than usual and as a result almost ran into several pedestrians in her hurry to get to the small tea shop. Apollo kept up with her easily, enjoying the chance to stretch his legs after staying curled up during class. Very few students had noticed him, something she was grateful for. She would hate making him wait outside of school for her to come out. She hurried through the tea shop and went straight to the back, where her new boss was waiting. He had never told her his name, even when she had asked, so in her mind he had just become Kendo-sensei, simply because that was what he taught.

"Your arms are bruised," was the first thing he said when she walked in the doorway. She nodded, not explaining. Her mother had gripped her harder than she had realized during her short seizure. She walked straight over to the artificial katanas and began taking them off of the shelves, gathering the cleaning materials and getting to work. The dojo was empty majority of the time, with only a couple of people passing through to ask about the tea shop. Kiruma wondered if Kendo-sensei even had a student. She didn't dare ask, instead cleaning the katanas until they gleamed, relishing the soothing work. This was one of the only times when she could think freely. The work occupied her hands, not her mind, and gave her a chance to figure out what she needed to do to keep her small world turning. After work, Kiruma would normally head to the forest to train Apollo, but she had a different destination today. She left the shop without a word, simply nodding at Kendo-sensei as she walked out the back.

She made her way to a small store named 'Yamanaka Flower Shop' and entered hesitantly. She was hit with the smell of lilac and rosemary and several other scents she couldn't name as she walked through the doorway. The woman behind the counter was chatting excitedly with a customer.

"You'll never guess what happened," she exclaimed, starry eyed. "Inoichi proposed to me just last week!"

"Eh?! No way, that's so romantic! Have you discussed having a family?"

"Of course," the woman answered, proudly displaying a dazzling engagement ring. "Whether we have a boy or a girl, we're going to name the baby Ino," she gushed.

"How wonderful! And medical expenses will be no problem with a doctor in the family, ne?"

"A-ano…" Kiruma stepped forward, feeling a bit awkward interrupting the conversation.

"Oh goodness me, I'm sorry! Were you looking to buy some flowers, dear?" the woman asked kindly.

"H-hai," she answered. She randomly selected a few carnations and placed them on the counter, paying quickly and turning to leave. Something she had overheard caught her attention.

_Medical expenses will be no problem with a doctor in the family, ne?_

"Ma'am," she said suddenly, turning to the woman behind the counter. "How good of a doctor are you?"

The woman turned to her in surprise, her honey colored eyes curious.

"Hm? Does someone in your family need a doctor, dear?"

Kiruma blinked.

"N-nevermind," she answered abruptly, "Thank you for the flowers." Without waiting for a response she exited the shop, whistling for Apollo and continuing to her destination, feeling the gaze of the woman follow her out. It was stupid to think that getting a doctor would help anything. She had a feeling her mother's condition was more emotion based than health based anyways. Doctors were expensive, and they required paperwork. Those were two things she couldn't deal with in excessive amounts, at least, not yet. She would already be skipping dinner tonight because of the flowers.

She arrived at the forest in good time, making her way to the clearing where she had heard Kakashi's father had been buried. She began to walk into the clearing and froze when she saw Kakashi already standing there. He hadn't noticed her yet. She backed away slowly and silently, back into the cover of the surrounding trees. She stepped on a twig, which snapped with a sharp crack. The silver haired ninja whirled around at the sound and in a flash she scurried up the nearest tree, heart pounding. She hadn't expected him to be here. Peeking out from between the leaves, she watched the boy slowly turn back around, eyes suspicious before he resumed glaring at the gravestone, fists clenched. She waited patiently for about an hour, eventually watching him slowly walk away. Once she was sure he was gone, she climbed down and approached the grave, constantly checking to make sure no one was watching.

She stood in front of the grave and placed the flowers there, clasping her hands behind her back and rocking back and forth on her heels.

"I was wrong today," she said quietly to the grave. "I told your son that your death was good for him, and that it would help him grow up. Sorry." The tomb remained silent.

She sighed and crouched down, reading the gravestone.

"Suicide, huh? Same as my dad, more or less."

She sighed, before suddenly remembering something.

"And this doesn't mean I'm gonna be friends with your son," she insisted heatedly. "I still hate him with a burning passion and want to set his stupid gravity-defying hair on fire… I just figured I was a bit out of line today, so I wanted to come here." She took a deep breath, watching the sky for a moment, and wondered why she was talking to a slab of stone.

"I gotta get going, Ka-chan's probably waiting on dinner." Not to mention Apollo hadn't been fed yet. Arranging the flowers so that they were propped up against the grave, she turned and left, hands shoved into her pockets. That made her feel a bit better about today. Her attitude was necessary, but that didn't mean she enjoyed it.

She went to bed hungry that night, but she didn't mind. Bills had to be paid, and she'd wanted to get the flowers. It didn't matter whether anyone knew or not. She had just needed to do it for herself. She plopped down on her bed, feeling Apollo curl up next to her, resting his head on the shoulder that hadn't been nicked by the bullet. The scar on her collarbone would always be there, but it didn't bother her much anymore. She would start wearing a scarf when it got colder. These thoughts in mind, Kiruma fell asleep; dreams of purple face marks and burning trolls swirling through her consciousness.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Author's Note: Updates will be on Mondays, sometimes every other week if a chapter isn't ready. Any and all feedback appreciated.**


	3. The Academy

3 – The Academy

Kiruma found her Academy days passing by slowly at best. Her memory was nearly flawless, which made learning from the book a simple task, but her relationship with her class went downhill at an almost alarming rate. The other students considered her abrupt and cold, scary even, but as a result she was never questioned about her personal life and that was fine with her. At least, she told herself it was fine. She needed to worry about getting Apollo and her mother fed. Friends came second, if at all. Curiously enough, Kiruma found her grades dropping drastically. She didn't understand the system in the Academy at all. Basically they would give you work, practice, teach you techniques and test you, but none of the grades mattered as long as you passed the graduation test at the end of the year. She wasn't one to spend energy in a wasted area, so while she fought tooth and nail outside of class to become a stronger ninja, her grades displayed her as no more than the common slacker. It was probably better that way. That made her teacher and fellow classmates have low expectations for her.

She had long since stopped trying at practices, so no one in class even knew if she had what it took to be a ninja. That day had been spent completely on weapons, learning how to aim and throw kunai, shurikens, and even senbon. Kiruma leaned against the fence, lazily flicking shurikens around her target. She didn't really like kunai. They were too big to do anything sneakily whereas senbon and shuriken were easy to hide and easy to miss when sent towards an opponent. She turned and saw Kakashi hurl the weapons at his own target, each hitting dead center. Her classmates gushed over his success, trying to crowd around him, but he ignored them. When he saw her lazily flicking senbon into the trees, his eyes narrowed and he sent her a dark glare. She glared right back, not knowing or caring why he had a problem with her. She didn't like him either.

When class ended, she hastily retrieved her things and called Apollo, knowing she would be late for work if she didn't hurry. She felt several eyes follow her out of the room, but paid them no mind. Some classmates had noticed her hasty departures from class, but no one dared confront her about it. She rounded the school building, taking the back way to the tea shop like she usually did. When she reached the back field, the scene before her made her stop dead in her tracks.

Kurenai was standing fearfully in the corner, hands clasped together as she backed away from two Genin, both of whom were advancing on her, glints of wicked enthusiasm resonating in their eyes.

"S-Stay away from me!" Kurenai shouted, her back now pressed against the wall. One of the Genin just laughed, drawing a kunai.

"Stay still, and this won't hurt a bit," he promised wickedly, the lie blatantly obvious. Kurenai looked over their shoulders, her eyes locking with Kiruma's. Kiruma scowled, hesitating. If she got involved here her act as the bad guy of the class would totally be destroyed. People would start to realize she wasn't as cruel and scary as she appeared. One of the Genin turned, seeing her. He nudged his friend and they both watched her, looking her up and down for a second.

"Interested in joining the fun?" one of them called, smirking. She returned the smile, advancing slowly and drawing a shuriken from her belt.

"Sure," she answered, her expression bored. She watched as Kurenai's eyes widened in horror, her last hope for rescue completely extinguished. One of the Genin grabbed Kurenai's wrist and she cried out, trying to tear her arm out of his grasp. Kiruma suddenly had a flashing memory of her father doing the same thing to her. She stiffened slightly, making her decision. She knew exactly what Kurenai was feeling, and not helping would make her just as bad as her father. Screw reputations.

Kiruma grabbed the Genin's arm and plunged her shuriken into it, causing him to yell in agony and release her. Taking advantage of their confusion, she tripped the other Genin, causing him to fall into the first ninja. While they were recovering, Kiruma shoved a shocked Kurenai back towards the school.

"Get out of here," she snarled. "Run!"

Kurenai just stared at her wide eyed.

"You- You're not…"

The Genin suddenly tackled Kiruma to the ground, pinning her on her stomach with her arm held up behind her back.

"What are you waiting for?!" Kiruma growled at Kurenai.

She seemed to snap out of her daze, taking a hesitant step forward, as if to help Kiruma.

"Stop!" she ordered harshly, making Kurenai freeze. "I'll be fine, just get out of here," she snarled. She flipped onto her back and kicked the second shinobi in the face, but that just made him slap her hard, and pin her arms above her head.

Kiruma glanced to the side to see Kurenai reluctantly turn and run, racing back towards the school. Kiruma exhaled in relief. Good. She shuddered as she felt the Genin push her hair out of her face.

"You little bitch," he snarled under his breath. The second one studied her face as she glared at him.

"Heh, she's actually kind of pretty once you see her face, ne?"

The Genin smirked.

"Let's teach this one a lesson about respecting her superiors."

He sat on top of her so that she couldn't move and to Kiruma's horror his hand slipped under her shirt, nails digging into her skin.

She shuddered, convulsing in disgust. His smile widened at her expression and his grip on her wrists tightened painfully. He tried to touch her face and she bit down on his hand hard, drawing blood. He drew his hand back with a startled hiss of pain.

"A bit feisty, aren't we?" She recoiled, but only succeeded in making him shift his weight slightly. He grabbed her shoulders and slammed her into the ground, making her see stars. He licked his lips and pressed his knees down on her hips, causing pain to shoot through her torso. His mouth went to her neck and Kiruma gagged, feeling fiery anger surge through her. A familiar tingling sensation set in her arms and she saw flames lick up her wrists, but felt no burn. He released her immediately with a shout of pain. His hands were red and blistering from where he had grabbed her, and his sleeves were smoking slightly. Not knowing what she had done but enraged all the same, he grabbed her and shoved her up against the wall of the school building, again pinning her arms by her sides. He lowered his face closer to hers and she closed her eyes and turned her face away in a last ditch attempt to protect herself. The tingling sensation was gone, and she had a feeling it wouldn't come back in time to save her.

She jumped in terror when a flash shot through the clearing, taking the two Genin with them. Her shirt tore as the Genin was ripped off of her, leaving long scratches on her waist. Feeling her hands freed, Kiruma fell forward, feeling a wave of nausea overcome her. Her knees buckled and in an instant her rescuer was at her side, gently holding her up. She looked up to see two bright ocean blue eyes watching her with concern. Her gaze turned to the Genin, who had immediately paled upon seeing the man and bolted, running as if their lives were at stake.

"Are you alright?" a gentle voice asked. Kiruma turned to face the man, jerking away from him instinctively when he put his hand on her shoulder. He was tall with shaggy blonde hair and kind eyes that were bluer than any she had ever seen. He wore the traditional Jounin uniform, and was watching her with an almost fatherly look of concern she had never felt directed towards her before.

"I… I didn't need your help," she muttered defensively, turning her face away.

_You idiot, Kiruma, _she growled at herself. _Is that how you thank someone who saved you?_ She felt her cheeks redden in humiliation. She started in surprise as she felt him drape his vest over her shoulders, covering her torn shirt.

"You did a good job," he praised her softly, his voice quiet yet soothing at the same time. "Why don't you come with me and we'll get you cleaned up a bit?"

She shook her head stubbornly.

"I don't- I don't like charity," she insisted, still not meeting his eyes. For some reason it almost hurt to see that much compassion in his expression.

"Not at all, just call it a favor from one shinobi to another, okay? I'm Minato." Knowing she couldn't very well say no to a Jounin, Kiruma nodded reluctantly.

"…I guess." _But I'm not a shinobi._

She had heard of Minato, the shinobi known as the Yellow Flash. She'd never thought she would meet him in person, let alone be rescued by him. Acutely aware of his guiding hand on her shoulder, she allowed him to lead her to a small house off of a side street in Konoha. Minato opened the door and a beautiful woman with long red hair greeted them.

"My, my, who do we have here?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"Kushina, this is…" Minato started in surprise, realizing that he hadn't yet learned her name.

"K-Kiruma," she offered quietly.

Minato smiled at her. "Kiruma-san, this is my fiancée Kushina."

Kushina smiled down at the girl before frowning slightly at her bruised cheek and ruffled appearance.

"Were those bandits running around picking fights again?" she asked Minato. He nodded, guiding Kiruma into the warm interior of the house. She sat at the table, watching the two of them. She'd never met any adults like the ones before her.

"Don't worry, Kiruma-chan," Kushina said gently. "We'll get you cleaned up right away. Would you like some tea?"

"N-no," she answered. "I really should go… I don't want to be any trouble-"

"Don't worry about it," The red haired woman interrupted kindly, smiling at her. "We haven't had a guest in a while, so it's nice having some company."

Kiruma stared at her, wide eyed, before nodding. She liked Kushina. Which was kind of rare. She didn't allow herself to like very many people. She wasn't sure about Minato yet, but she felt a warm glow when she thought of the beautiful woman in front of her. Kushina placed a cup of tea in front of her and watched in satisfaction as the young girl took a cautious sip. The hot drink felt good after being outside for so long. Minato got out a first aid kit and started to gently press ice against her throbbing cheek. She watched him warily and he smiled at her reassuringly, his blue eyes calming her down and causing some of her hesitation to melt away.

"Were you hurt anywhere else?" he asked.

"No," she lied, shaking her head. Her head was pounding and the scratches across her belly stung sharply, but she had intruded here enough. She didn't like asking for help. It gave her a sick kind of feeling, like she was weak.

"How did you burn that man?" Minato questioned, making her jump in surprise. He had seen her weird ability. She didn't answer, looking down at her hands. There was a faint tingling there, but she couldn't quite draw up the flames at will; they just appeared when she was angry or scared. She had thought it was cool at first, but now it made her feel like a freak. What was wrong with her?

"Now, now Minato, don't go asking questions when she's just been through an ordeal," Kushina scolded, whapping him with a wooden spoon. He grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, sorry."

Suddenly Kiruma shot to her feet, almost spilling her tea and surprising the two.

"I'm late!" she remembered suddenly, thinking of Kendo-sensei. "I- I have to leave!" She ran to the door, pausing in the doorway and looking back at the couple, watching her with mildly surprised expressions.

"I-..." she trailed off, feeling her blush deepen. "…thank you," she muttered, almost too low for them to hear. Kushina smiled cheerfully.

"Anytime! Us red haired women have to look out for each other, right?" Kiruma gave a hesitant nod before running out the door and sprinting to work as fast as she could. She glanced down and blinked in surprise. She had forgotten to return Minato's vest. She would have to do that as soon as work was over. She ran around the back of the tea shop and entered the dojo, panting. Kendo-sensei was standing above her, arms crossed over his chest and watching her thoughtfully, his expression serious and his dark eyes unreadable. She met his gaze guiltily, knowing she was more than just a little late.

"Kiruma-chan," he began, and she hung her head, expecting to be scolded. "…I think you should begin to take classes in kendo here."

Kiruma blinked in surprise, watching him in confusion. He was eyeing her swollen cheek and the bruises around her wrists and legs.

"This isn't the first time you have come to work injured," he remarked seriously. There was a heavy silence.

"Are other people hurting you?" he asked gravely. She shook her head, but she knew he believed her lie just about as much as she believed it herself.

"It's about time you learned to defend yourself properly, right?" Kendo-sensei grinned at her, giving her a thumbs up. "I have decided I will accept you as my student!"

There was an awkward silence.

"I can't pay for lessons," Kiruma remarked sharply, crossing her arms over her chest. She hardly had the time, either. She had left Apollo at home to look after Ka-chan because today was one of her mother's worse days, and staying out later than she already did made her nervous.

"Nonsense," her boss waved his hand dismissively. "Students who ask for lessons are charged for classes, however when a Sensei chooses a disciple, the only cost is hard work and loyalty!"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "…Right?"

She shifted her hands to her hips, eyeing him warily. His attitude was suddenly similar to Might Gai, one of her more enthusiastic classmates.

"You're sure you aren't just feeling sorry for me?" She asked suspiciously. "I'm not a fan of favors and owing people."

Kendo-sensei smirked slightly, crossing his arms.

"Don't be ridiculous," he assured her. "I have been looking for a student for a while, call it a personal goal if you will."

She scowled slightly but agreed reluctantly.

"I can stay for two hours after work," she gave in, pressing her lips together in a thin line. "No longer."

Her new sensei smiled. "Deal."

She began training straight after work. Kendo-sensei directed her to the center of the dojo and immediately had her start doing pushups.

"Shouldn't… we be learning… stances… and how to use… a katana?" she gasped, continuing to do pushups as he sat in front of her, reading a novel. He glanced up, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you questioning my methods?" he asked, closing his book with a snap.

"Yes," she blurted, pushing herself up for the umpteenth time.

"In that case, do twenty more before we move on," he instructed. She faltered slightly, groaning inwardly as her body screamed in protest. She was regretting agreeing to his terms. She collapsed on the ground after completing the pushups, letting out a gasp and rolling onto her back.

"Now, sit-ups, 125, go," Kendo-sensei ordered without missing a beat. She looked at him incredulously.

"Are you serious?" she questioned.

"150," he answered, upping the number. She opened her mouth to protest, but shut it, knowing it would only earn her more work. She was a fast learner when it came to this kind of thing. Still breathing heavily, she began sit-ups, wondering how she was supposed to endure another hour and 54 minutes of this.

Kiruma found her days begin to blend together. Her routine was the same. Make breakfast for Ka-chan, go to the Academy, make sure she wasn't followed to work, train ridiculously for two hours, feed and practice with Apollo, return home to make dinner, and get prepared for the next day. Kurenai had tried to approach her multiple times, but Kiruma hadn't given her the chance, afraid the girl would confront her about rescuing her. By the seventh day she was fed up with Kendo-sensei.

"This is pointless," she began, trying to be reasonable despite the sweat sliding down her face and the exhaustion that was making her limbs shake.

"All I've done all week is exercise. I haven't so much as learned how to pick up a katana, let alone protect myself," she argued, continuing to perform her exercises. She knew that her sensei was more likely to listen if she talked while exercising, whereas he would merely keep reading if she stopped and tried to talk. She was currently balancing on one foot, keeping her arms extended as she carried too heavy books in each hand.

"Do you really think you are ready for wielding a weapon?" he questioned, turning a page of his novel.

"Obviously," she gasped. Just in that week her stamina and strength had improved hugely. She was faster, stronger, and more agile than she ever had been, and training exercises the Academy gave her were a breeze because of it, though she still acted like a slacker so as not to draw attention to herself.

He tapped her hip with a wooden katana.

"You're out of line, straighten your back." She did as she was told, but lifted her head to meet his eyes stubbornly, not allowing the subject to drop.

He nodded, satisfied with her alignment, before again sitting cross legged and opening his book.

"Wielding a katana or blade of any sort properly requires great strength. If you believe you have that strength, I will move you forward in your training."

"I know I am," she insisted, her voice little more than a growl. His eyes glinted with sparkling enthusiasm.

"Very well! Tomorrow, we will begin with… one handed pushups instead of two!"

The books she was lifting clattered to the floor and she fell to the ground, lying on her back. _Is he for real? _She wondered, frustrated and gasping for air.

"We will start with evading attacks soon," Her sensei promised. "You must be able to avoid the weapon before you wield it. For that we will practice at the hot springs. There isn't enough space here."

Kiruma eyed her sensei warily. There was plenty of room in the dojo. She wondered if space was really the true reason her teacher wanted to visit the hot springs. She glanced at his novel, noticing its cover for the first time. Her cheeks reddened slightly when she read the title. She shook her head. _There isn't enough space here. That's why we're going to the hot springs. _Yeah, right.

However, true to his words, that's where they were exactly three days later, once Kiruma felt she had done enough one handed pushups for a lifetime.

"Duck," he ordered, swinging a stick towards her. She dropped down, his stick nicking the side of her head painfully. She stumbled back as he jabbed toward her ankles.

"Jump!" the stick got tangled in her feet and she fell back onto the ground, earning a rough jab at her ribs. _That's gonna leave a bruise, _she thought grimly, wrapping an arm around her stomach.

"Get up," he commanded and she forced herself to her feet. She scowled. He seemed to be enjoying this. He was beating her with a stick without giving her any instruction on how to properly dodge. Anytime she asked for instruction, he would just say, '_You will face enemies with unpredictable movements. Find your own way of avoiding attacks.'_

She jumped back as he swung towards her shoulder and ducked as the stick went whistling over her head. He jabbed forward and the stick buried itself in her gut.

"Oof," she let out as she flew backwards and slammed into the ground.

"I thought you said you were ready," Kendo-sensei remarked casually, his eyes wide in mock innocence. She glared at him.

"You aren't teaching me anything!" she exclaimed in exasperation.

"You have not realized what I am teaching you," he returned seriously. "Get up! Again!"

This continued for an hour before her sensei finally stopped. Kiruma ached all over, and her frustration was nearly at its peak.

"You fail," he told her cheerfully, turning and walking towards the springs. Kiruma's jaw dropped.

"But… it's only been an hour," she protested. Kendo-sensei tossed the stick aside.

"I can do no more for you until you realize the concept on your own," he assured her without turning. "If you'll excuse me, I have some information I must gather."

He started to walk away and Kiruma's hands clenched into fists.

"Wait," she called. He stopped, glancing over his shoulder. "Attack me again."

She saw the corner of his mouth twitch.

"Very well."

He picked up the stick and approached her, stopping a few feet away and meeting her ash colored eyes.

"Nice expression," he murmured, watching her determined face. He darted forward, swinging toward her knees and she jumped to the side. He changed direction and swung around towards her arms in an instant. The stick hit her shoulder and sent her off balance immediately. He flicked the stick up to her throat, signifying her loss. She clenched her fists.

"Again," she insisted, taking a stance. He attacked again.

Kiruma wasn't improving. Practice time was already over, but she had insisted he keep attacking her, trying desperately to figure out what Kendo-sensei was trying to make her realize. After this long, however, her frustration was reaching its peak. Kendo-sensei sent her flying backwards again, making her land on her back with a grunt. He turned to prepare again and she struggled to her feet, running towards him. He swiped the stick downward catching her on her collarbone where her scar was. Pain erupted in her neck and she reached out and grabbed the stick, eyes murderous. A jagged streak of pain, much stronger than the tingling she had experienced before, shot through her arm and suddenly the stick was on fire, blackening and crumbling before their eyes.

Kendo-sensei didn't seem surprised, but there was a twinkling in his eyes.

He released the stick with a quiet yelp when the fire seared his hand, turning his gaze back to Kiruma who was still holding the other end of the stick, the weapon crumbling to ash in her fingers.

"I see you have realized it," he noted calmly, crossing his arms. Kiruma started in surprise, her anger vanishing.

"What?" she asked.

"There are no defense moves in kendo. It is impossible to block unless the move is also a counter attack. Kendo is very aggressive and agile."

Kiruma's jaw dropped.

"That's it?" she questioned dangerously. "I've been running away from getting beaten by a stick just to learn _that?"_

"It is something you must experience for yourself. Besides, your dodging skills have improved quite a bit." He was teasing her, but there was a hint of honesty in his voice. Not wanting to set the man on fire, she turned and whistled for Apollo, folding her arms against her chest so that her anger wouldn't burn anything. Or anyone.

"Where are you going?" Kendo-sensei asked, watching her retreating form. "How 'bout we take a nice dip in the hot springs? It'd probably feel good after today's practice, eh?"

Kiruma froze. "No thanks," she said abruptly. "Go gather your information, I'm going home."

A smile broke over her sensei's face.

"Hehee, if you say so, Kiruma-chaaaan!" she watched him tiptoe over to the women's bath and rolled her eyes. It was time to leave. As she walked away she heard him call something that brought a smile to her lips.

"Tomorrow we start practicing with Shinai!"

**Shinai: bamboo katana tightly wrapped in leather; generally used for learning kendo so as to lessen risk of injury.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**


	4. The Recruit

4 – The Recruit

"Koizumi-san, I need to talk to you." Kiruma glanced up at the all-too-familiar voice with an inward groan. Kurenai was standing before her, lips pursed together and hands on her hips. She had been avoiding the black haired girl for weeks, but had never been approached directly before. Already students were beginning to stare, wondering why Kurenai was going out of her way to talk to the redhead.

"So?" she asked sharply, crossing her arms. Kurenai wasn't fazed by her tone.

"About what happened that day-"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kiruma snapped. "Go bother someone else."

Kurenai slammed her hands down on Kiruma's desk, glaring heatedly at her. Kiruma blinked.

"Listen to me!" she exclaimed fiercely. "I know what happened, even if you pretend not to. I don't know why you act like a bad person in front of everyone else but I know that you saved m-!"

Kiruma grabbed Kurenai's collar and dragged the girl closer so that she could whisper in her ear, startling the raven haired girl into silence.

"Not another word," she whispered harshly. "If you want to talk that badly then find me after school. If not, we're done here." She released Kurenai and the girl stared determinedly at her in silence before giving a curt nod.

"Fine," she agreed reluctantly. Now Kiruma had the entire class' attention. She ran a hand through her hair, sighing. _Wonderful._

Class began and their teacher started by handing back their tests.

"Not your best, Koizumi-san," Ichiro-sensei noted as he passed back her test. A big red 63 stared her right back in the face.

She didn't answer, instead looking past her teacher at the clock, wondering vaguely how much time she had left before work. She'd begun to look forward to her training sessions with Kendo-Sensei, now that in addition to conditioning her body she was beginning to learn actual swordplay.

"Good work as usual, Hatake-kun," she heard him say faintly as he handed Kakashi his test back. She frowned slightly but made no comment. He caught her eye and sent her an icy glare, which she returned with equal ferocity. Whatever his problem was had nothing to do with her.

She glanced at Obito. He winced as a classmate bumped into him, covering his arm protectively with a hand. Her head cocked slightly to the side in curiosity. He was right handed, but he made no move to so much as pick up his pencil. She frowned slightly, remembering Kakashi sparring with the Uchiha during their last outdoor practice. Had the scarecrow hurt him?

Her guess was confirmed when he attempted to pick up his pencil with his left hand, struggling to write his name at the top of his paper. Kiruma stood suddenly, her chair grating against the floor as she left her desk.

"Sensei, I'm leaving," she announced coolly, walking across the classroom to the door.

"Return to your seat, Koizumi-san," Ichiro-sensei ordered without looking up. She snorted, pausing with her hand on the doorknob.

"Don't worry," she called lazily, waving a hand dismissively. "I'll be back before class is over."

She heard him give a sound of protest but she ignored it and slipped out the door, heading to the ice machine in the teachers' staff room.

_Why am I doing this? _She wondered, as she filled a bag with ice. It wasn't like Obito was her friend. None of her classmates were.

She closed her eyes. _It's not like you wanted to help him, _she assured herself. She just got a sick feeling in her stomach when he wasn't smiling and acting like an idiot. This was purely for her own selfish reasons. That thought firmly in mind, she sealed the bag and headed back to the classroom, slipping the ice into her pocket. She shuddered at the cold sensation but ignored it.

She felt her sensei's eyes on her when she reentered the class room, but pointedly ignored it.

She walked over to Obito's desk and leaned against it, crossing her arms and closing her eyes. He glanced up in surprise, watching her with wide, defiant obsidian eyes.

"Goggles," she addressed him coolly, opening one eye slightly to watch him. His left hand clenched into a fist as if preparing to defend himself. His right hand, she noticed, remained limp.

"What do you want?" he asked defensively. "And my name's Obito, not Goggles-!"

"Rin wants to talk to you."

He froze, his mouth dropping open in surprise.

"W-what?"

"You heard me. Next time talk to her yourself, I don't have time to be passing messages. Got it?" Kiruma kept her voice quiet, so other classmates couldn't overhear her.

He nodded, still confused, and stood, making his way over to the brown haired girl. When he passed her she slipped the ice into his pocket, careful to keep the movement subtle. He didn't even notice. He'd find it later, hopefully when she was long gone.

"Rin-chan~!"

Kiruma turned and sat at her desk, glancing at the clock as the bell rang, signaling the end of class. She picked up her things, intending to leave quickly so that she wouldn't have to deal with Kurenai.

"Koizumi-san, please stay for a moment," Ichiro-sensei called from the front of the classroom.

"Sensei, I'm a little busy-"

"I'm sure your plans for the evening can wait," he interrupted calmly, motioning for her to take a seat.

_Um, not really._

She stubbornly remained standing, dropping her bag next to her and crossing her arms as the last of the students trickled out of the classroom, only a few shooting her curious glances.

Kendo sensei was going to make her train so much harder today because of this. Her scowl deepened as she thought of all the extra exercises she would be suffering through that afternoon.

"Koizumi-san, I've been noticing that you haven't been getting along with the rest of the class as of lately."

She snorted. If he was just noticing that now, then he really didn't deserve her respect.

"Your grades haven't been improving either," he noted, watching her closely.

"So?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"So, I would just like to tell you that if you are being bullied here at school, or having troubles that we are unaware of, know that you can come to me at any time." His voice was diplomatic and reasonable, but it almost made her want to laugh. Her? Getting Bullied? What a joke. If anything, she was the predator. She made the other students fear her and stay away from her, not the other way around.

"Is that all you needed to say?" she questioned, neither confirming nor denying his assumption. He seemed disappointed by her lack of response.

Ichiro-sensei opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by someone walking in the doorway.

"Yo," the visitor called, "Am I interrupting anything?"

Kiruma's eyes widened in recognition. She would know that friendly smile and voice anywhere.

"Minato-san," Sensei greeted the man.

"Eh, if it isn't Kiruma-chan," he greeted her warmly, his blue eyes smiling brightly at her. "Thank you for returning this," he touched his vest, and Kiruma's face flooded with heat.

"I-It wasn't a big deal," she muttered, turning away.

"I hope you haven't gotten yourself into trouble again," he continued, his smile fading slightly.

"Oh no, nothing like that," Ichiro-sensei assured the blond Jounin. "We were just discussing some matters that have been occurring lately."

"Hn." Minato walked by the desks, glancing at the test still lying on her desk. He picked it up and glanced at it, frowning in thought.

"Hey, Minato-san, you shouldn't be looking at other students' test-"

"Is this yours?" Minato interrupted the man, facing Kiruma. Even from a distance the failing grade stood out red and clear.

"What of it?" she questioned defensively. He frowned at the paper.

"All of the work here is correct. Only the answer choices selected are wrong."

"Hm?" Ichiro-sensei questioned, sounding confused. Kiruma's eyes narrowed.

"You're pretty sharp, Minato-san," she observed quietly. She took her bag and slung it over her shoulder, heading towards the door.

"If that's all you have to tell me, Sensei, then I'm leaving. I have other places to be."

"Koizumi-san," Ichiro-sensei called firmly. "Are you having any issues at home, or being mistreated in any way that I or another adult should know about?"

Kiruma paused in the doorway, but didn't turn, eyes shadowed. The scar on her neck prickled painfully.

"That's really none of your business, Sensei," she informed him, her voice dark. "If you'll excuse me."

She called Apollo to her side and exited the classroom, stopping in the hallway when she heard her name being discussed.

"So that's the famous delinquent I've been hearing so much about?" Minato's tone was joking, but Ichiro-sensei answered with a tired sigh.

"I don't know how to get through to her. She won't tell anyone anything about herself and she won't let anyone help her. I just don't want her to end up a rogue shinobi or worse."

"Rogue shinobi? I don't think you have to worry about that," Minato assured him.

"What makes you say that?"

"Who do you think gave that ice to Obito?"

Kiruma froze. How on earth had Minato known that? This was bad. She had to get out of here before-

"Did she? I didn't even notice." Ichiro-sensei's voice was appalled.

"So now you know two things. You know her grades are intentional, and that she is helping an injured student without them knowing. What does that tell you about her personality?"

There was a silence.

A bead of sweat rolled down Kiruma's neck. These shinobi were sharp. Extremely sharp.

"She also rescued Yuhi Kurenai from a couple of rotten Genin I'd been tracing. It was quite a fight."

"No kidding?" Ichiro-sensei's voice sounded appalled. "I had no idea."

Kiruma turned to leave. She had heard enough. She was going to have to really lay on the toughness now.

She was about to make a break for it when a man slowly walked past her, making her freeze in her tracks. A thick air of authority surrounded him. The man had black shaggy hair, and his right eye was covered with bandages. He walked with a cane, but his gait gave away that he didn't really need it. He wore a white shirt with a dark grey robe covering his right shoulder all the way down to his feet. His one visible eye watched her as she passed, displaying a hint of interest. A shiver ran down her spine and she turned on her heel and ran as he slowly entered her classroom, neither of them looking back.

She burst out of the school building, Apollo right on her heels, and immediately crashed into someone right outside the door, sending both of them tumbling through the grass. Kiruma landed on her back, the air having been knocked out of her from the impact.

"Oi, watch where you're going!" she snarled, before her eyes widened in shock. Kurenai was blinking in surprise, her expression morphing into a triumphant grin when she recognized who had collided into her. Before Kiruma had time to react, Kurenai planted her hands on the girl's shoulders, sitting on her like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Finally got you!" she exclaimed victoriously. "But seriously," she whined. "You didn't have to tackle me out here."

She pouted for a moment before her expression grew serious.

"Now, about the other day-"

"Did you seriously wait all this time just to talk to me?" Kiruma snarled. She sat up, easily pushing the red eyed girl off of her, despite Kurenai's attempts to keep her pinned down.

"Of course," she answered dismissively. "You wouldn't even let me thank you."

"I didn't want you to," Kiruma growled. "I just did what I felt like doing. I wasn't trying to help you." She tried to make the words as harsh as possible, but Kurenai seemed oblivious.

"Liar," she accused cheerfully, poking Kiruma's cheek. Kiruma jerked away from her touch, getting to her feet and brushing herself off. Yuuko was the only one allowed to do that.

"Leave me alone," she muttered, walking away.

"Aw, don't be mean, Kiruma-chan," Kurenai complained, tagging along. "You're just a terrible liar."

"If I'm such a bad liar, how did I convince our entire class that I'm a delinquent?" Kiruma shot back.

Kurenai froze.

"I knew it," she breathed. "I knew you were just pretending!"

Kiruma swore. Another secret let out. Today was turning out to be awful. She was over an hour late for work, and she couldn't shake Kurenai before she got there. Tiredly passing a hand over her eyes, she turned onto the street of the kendo shop, stuffing her hands into her pockets.

"So, where are we going?" Kurenai asked.

"It's none of your business. Go home," Kiruma muttered.

"Nope, not a chance. I'm going to see where- Hey!"

Kiruma didn't give her a chance to finish her sentence. The moment she saw Kurenai blink, she darted around the corner of a building, climbing a rusty ladder to the roof of a store in an instant. Kendo-sensei's speed and agility training sure was coming in handy. She leapt from rooftop to rooftop, enjoying the thrill of flying through the air. She had learned this a while ago, but had never actually used it outside of practice until today. She could hear Kurenai yelling for her, but she ignored it, focusing on the kendo dojo ahead. She ran through the back door out of breath and gasping.

The door clattered shut behind her as she faced her sensei, who glanced up in surprise as she entered.

"It's about time you showed up, eh?" he chided, crossing his arms.

"I got held up at class," she gasped. "Won't happen again."

"It better not," he concluded, dropping two giant weights at her feet. "Run up Konoha Mountain and down three times with these before we go through stances and forms."

She glared at the weights venomously. Kurenai was so going to pay for this.

Three and a half hours later, Kiruma staggered out of the dojo, exhausted. She whistled and Apollo trotted up to her, licking the back of her hand with a quiet whine.

"Let's go make dinner," she sighed quietly, trudging back home. The house was hauntingly silent when she arrived, but she paid it no mind. It often felt too empty when she returned home. Her mother was sitting at the table where she had left her that morning, still in her nightgown, hands clasped in her lap, skin an ashen grey color.

"I'm back, Ka-chan," Kiruma announced in a resigned voice. She received no answer. She sighed and opened the refrigerator, frowning at the near empty shelves. They would need her career as a ninja to escalate quickly if they wanted to keep the house. Bills were already beginning to stack up. She grabbed a bowl and quickly heated up some soup from the night before.

"Itedekimas," she murmured, before placing the food in front of her mother. The woman made no motion to eat. Her eyes were far away, and Kiruma wondered for the millionth time what could possibly be going through her mother's head. Was she still haunted by the prospect of having murdered their father? Or was she simply in a state of shock, unable to break free of some place beyond reality?

"You've been coming home late." Her mother's voice made Kiruma jump in surprise, knocking over her soup. She stared at her mother with wide eyes, her hands beginning to tremble.

"B-because I work now," she reminded her mother, moving to the woman's side. "Ka-chan? Do you understand? Can you hear me?"

A soft breath of air escaped her mother's lips, scarily similar to a dying sigh.

"Please, just answer me," Kiruma begged, taking her mother's hand in her own. "Can you just squeeze my hand? If you can hear me, just squeeze my hand, okay?"

Her mother's fingers remained limp and cold. Kiruma squeezed her eyes closed, fighting back tears. This was the first time her mother had spoken in months, and now she was gone again, crushing the small hope that had risen in her so suddenly, now brutally extinguished by her mother's still fingers. It wasn't fair. Why did she have to go through this by herself? Where was Yuuko? Why hadn't he come home?

"Ka-chan," she whispered, staring into her mother's empty eyes. "What else do you want me to do?" She put her head in her hands, taking a deep shuddering breath.

"I'm tired, Ka-chan. I'm tired."

_And suffering. Because I don't know what to do._

A knock on the door made her jolt upright in alarm. Who on earth would be visiting at this hour? She leapt to her feet, considering not answering, but the kitchen light was on, so whoever it was knew she would be awake. She glanced at her mother nervously, before edging towards the door. They never got visitors. She didn't have any friends.

She cautiously opened the door, blinking in surprise when she recognized the man before her. It was the scary looking man that had passed her in the hallway at school. He watched her coolly for a moment.

"I presume you are Koizumi Kiruma?" he guessed, folding his hands across his chest.

"What of it?" she returned just as icily, though her hands were cold and clammy.

_Who is he?_

"Is your mother or father home?" he questioned.

"She's sleeping," she lied easily, praying for once that her mother wouldn't make a sound.

"Is that so?" His voice told her he didn't believe her lie for a moment.

_How did he find me?_

"What did you come here for?" she asked sharply, wanting to get to the point. His eyes glinted in amusement at her tone.

_What does he want from me?_

"I came to make you an offer," he began. "Do you mind if I come in?"

"Actually I do," she answered coldly. He paused, lips twitching upward in a smile of satisfaction, as if she had just passed some sort of unspoken test.

"Very well, then I will keep this quick and to the point. I am Shimura Danzo, and I wish to recruit you to the ANBU black ops."

There was a heavy silence as his words sunk in.

"Black Ops?" she questioned finally, crossing her own arms over her chest.

"Yes. You may or may not know this, but the ANBU force is the service that serves the Hokage directly, doing missions of the highest importance. Not only is the pay exceptional, but the honor that comes with it is unparalleled, even among shinobi."

Kiruma eyed him warily.

"Why would you want to recruit someone like me?" she demanded suspiciously. He stared down at her condescendingly, his dark glare even with hers.

"You show incredible potential, and we prefer to begin training recruits while they are still extremely young."

"My grades are nothing special." His eyes were unreadable for a moment. She stayed very still, sensing that this man was extremely tuned to reading any form of body language she offered. Finally he spoke.

"Your grades do not reflect your potential. If you tell a fish to climb a tree, it will spend its entire life believing it is stupid. However once you teach it to swim-"

"Sorry." She cut him off abruptly, unwilling to listen to his droning philosophies. "I'm not interested."

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow, and somehow the gesture seemed menacing.

"I've heard of the ANBU forces. They are trained to their physical limits, until their emotions are all but eliminated. That's not the kind of work I'm interested in."

"And yet you still wish to be a shinobi." He said the words as a statement, but she heard the questioning accusation clear as day. She gave a curt nod, stubbornly refusing to answer his silent question.

_Why? _

"If that's all you need, _sir_-" she forced the formality, though in her voice the words sounded sarcastic and insincere.

"Not quite," he interrupted calmly. "If you change your mind-"

_I won't._

"…please contact me here." He handed her a small slip of paper. She stared at it blankly.

"Make your decision quickly, Koizumi-san," he advised. "The paper will burn itself at midnight tomorrow." Without another word, he turned and walked away, vanishing into the darkness. Kiruma closed the door and locked it, turning around and glancing into the kitchen.

"Let's get you to bed, Ka-chan," she sighed softly. The day had been too long, and she needed her rest.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**Author's Note: This may seem unrelated, but does anyone know the specific training techniques ANBU Black Ops used to render recruits emotionless? If not I'll just be creative, but feedback would be appreciated. (This is for a future Chapter)**

**Thanks for Reading:D**


	5. The Fight

5 – The Fight

Saturday. For most that meant sleeping in, going out with friends, taking it easy before school began again the next week, but unfortunately for Kiruma it meant only one thing, and that was work. The first half of the day she would spend taking care of the house needs, paying off the bills she could, going through her mother's old paperwork for any documents concerning financial aid or insurance, and then cooking and cleaning. The second half would be intense training with Kendo-sensei for who knew how long, practice with Apollo, and if she had time, continuing her search for Yuuko, whom she hadn't heard nor seen a trace of since the night her father died.

Kiruma walked outside to get the mail, Apollo trotting happily at her heels. He had grown quite a bit since she had found him, though he still looked like a puppy. His legs had gotten longer and stronger, his face not as round as it used to be. He was thin, but not unhealthily so, and lean muscle was beginning to show in his chest and legs, from the hours of training they'd gone through together. She sifted through the mail, one letter catching her eye.

_Dear Koizumi-san, _

_We are afraid to inform you that your current financial status may be causing certain consequences in the near future that you may wish to be aware of…_

She skimmed to the bottom, her stomach filling with dread. If she didn't send in money to pay the bills, they'd be sending an agent to personally inquire about her financial situation. If they found out what was going on, she'd be sent to an orphanage for sure. She wasn't even a teenager. Hell if she doubled her age she wouldn't be a teenager. They wouldn't believe for a second that she could make it on her own. She pulled out the slip of paper that kept appearing in her pocket, no matter how many times she threw it away.

_Training Room 6, Underground Complex; Password: That's what they want you to think._

She'd already unwillingly memorized the words, but couldn't get rid of the paper. At this point she wasn't sure she could afford to pass up the opportunity. She had to face the fact that being a shinobi wasn't going to pay off at least until she graduated. And working at the dojo was barely enough for food, let alone the stacks of bills that were steadily growing larger and larger.

She sighed in frustration, heading back to her house. She dropped the mail on the counter and cleaned up the dishes from breakfast.

"Apollo, we're leaving early today."

Halfway to work, Kiruma spotted Kurenai coming from the opposite direction and swore silently, ducking into an alleyway only to slam into someone hiding in the shadows.

"Watch it," she snarled, pushing the boy off of her before blinking in surprise.

"Scarecrow?"

"It's Kakashi," he corrected darkly, crossing his arms over his chest.

She just rolled her eyes.

"Watch where you're going next time." She tried to move around him and keep walking, but he grabbed her arm. She jerked it violently out of his grip.

"Don't touch me."

"Don't go that way."

She paused, watching him suspiciously. "Why not?"

"There's a hideout for bandits and thieves," he informed her, dark eyes serious.

"So?"

"So, it's dangerous."

"Why do you care?" she demanded, impatient. He scowled, though it was hard to tell with his face half covered.

"Fine, go get yourself killed then. See if I care."

She grinned wickedly.

_That's what I thought. _

"Scared?" she questioned under her breath.

He stiffened. She was surprised he heard her.

"You wouldn't stand a chance," he muttered.

"Bite me," she growled, before turning and walking down the alleyway. He took a step towards her and Apollo growled fiercely, making him freeze in his tracks.

He glared at her darkly. The look in his eyes bothered her. It was angry, and colder than usual.

"What's your _problem _with me?" she demanded, walking over to him. Apollo backed down, but his eyes never left Kakashi.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he answered indifferently.

She paused, remembering exactly how much she had to get done today. She had to ask Kendo-sensei about the ANBU and train with Apollo in time to make lunch for her mother. Then it was training, practice, and the housework she'd neglected to get done that morning.

"Forget it," she muttered, brushing past him. She didn't have time for this, and he wasn't worth it.

"If you have a problem, spit it out," he suggested casually, walking next to her with his hands in his pockets.

"Don't follow me," she muttered, scowling when he made no motion to stop walking with her.

"What are you hiding?" he asked icily, eyes flicking down to meet hers.

"None of your business."

She froze, looking to her right as if she had just seen something dangerous. His head snapped to the side, following her gaze, and as soon as he turned, she darted away, running in between two houses and swinging onto the rooftops for the second time that week. She leapt easily from building to building, enjoying it for a minute or so, until suddenly a shadow appeared to her right. She let out a startled cry of surprise when she was tackled to the ground by a sudden force similar to slamming into a brick wall.

"You can't lose me that easily." Kakashi's voice sounded amused.

_Damn prodigies. _She'd lost Kurenai easily enough. Apparently that wouldn't be the case with him.

"I told you not to touch me," she snarled, shoving him off of her. He released her, surprised.

"You're strong," he observed, eyeing her with new interest.

She didn't answer.

"Since when have you been able to-"

"I said it was none of your business." Her tone was biting.

He stood up and brushed himself off, surveying her with his usual boredom.

Suddenly the door slammed open and Kendo-sensei burst out, eyes widening in surprise when he saw Kiruma getting to her feet.

"Kiruma-chan~ you're early!"

"S-sensei," she muttered the greeting under her breath, looking away.

The white haired man eyed Kakashi warily.

"Kiruma-chan, don't tell me you've been getting into fights again," he scolded disapprovingly.

"N-no, I haven't!" she answered heatedly, bristling at the accusation.

"Fights?" Kakashi questioned. "Do people pick fights with y-"

"Sensei, I have something to talk to you about," she interrupted, before anything else was said.

"Hn?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"_Alone," _she pressed.

"Hey, aren't you one of the legendary-" Kakashi cut off as Kendo-sensei held a finger to his lips, winking at Kakashi.

"Hai, hai, come in, Kiruma-chan," Kendo-sensei insisted, waving goodbye to Kakashi, who was watching with a slightly surprised expression. His eyes narrowed as she entered the dojo.

_Legendary what? _She wondered. Kendo-sensei wouldn't tell her no matter how long she asked, and she wasn't going to ask Kakashi of all people. Who exactly was her teacher?

"What did you need to talk about?" her sensei asked, making her a cup of tea. Kiruma snapped out of her thought process and returned her attention to the matter at hand.

"Shimura Danzo wants to recruit me to the ANBU."

Her sensei froze. You could've heard a pin drop in the tea shop.

"Have you answered?" he asked finally.

"I refused initially, but I'm in the process of reconsidering."

Her sensei made himself a cup of tea and took a long drink, setting the cup down on the table with a sigh.

"Danzo has a way of always getting what he wants… but tell me, what about the position appeals to you, eh?"

Kiruma hesitated. This would be the first time she ever willingly told someone something about herself.

"Do you…" she paused before continuing. "Do you remember when I almost lit you on fire?"

He chuckled, dark eyes twinkling.

"Of course."

"I don't know what that ability is, where it came from, or how to control it. I want to learn."

Kendo sensei frowned.

"Do your parents know anything about it?"

She frowned in thought. All she knew was that her parents had disliked her love of fire, and that her father especially hated catching her around it. She couldn't ask her father, and probably wouldn't even if he was still alive. Her mother… well her mother most likely wouldn't even hear her.

"My father called me a demon child once," she answered, pondering. "Maybe I'm not human?"

Kendo-sensei's eyes clouded with anger. Of course, he didn't know that her once abusive father was dead, and her mother was… well, currently incapacitated.

"…I don't think that's the case. It may just be that you have an excessive amount of chakra that has no way to escape, and therefore converts to fire when your emotions are at their peak."

"Why fire?" she questioned.

"Any multitude of reasons. It may just be your natural chakra element."

"It's different now, though," she said quietly, resting her cheek in her hand as she watched the steam rise from her cup of tea.

He watched her carefully.

"How so?"

"It isn't just when I'm sad or angry now," she explained calmly. "When I focus hard enough…" she opened her palm and a small flicker of flame sparked in her palm.

"Sometimes I don't even realize I'm doing it until it begins to burn me," she continued softly.

"…and that's why you bandage your hands?"

She nodded, running her fingers over the thin white bandages. They started halfway down her fingers and continued up her wrist, concealing the blistering burns she often received when she couldn't cool down her emotions fast enough.

"You show quite a bit of potential then, I can see why Danzo is interested."

"He's never seen the fire before."

"Perhaps."

Kiruma closed her palm and the flame extinguished itself.

"Will joining help me control it?" she questioned.

"Undoubtedly."

She stood.

"Then I'm going to accept."

Kendo sensei watched her with sad eyes.

"Just know what you're getting into, Kiruma-chan. You'll be pledging your life to the Hokage."

She looked down, her expression more serious and sad than he had ever seen.

"I know I will kill people, Sensei. I know they will push me to extremes, but I have other reasons too. I have important people to take care of."

He nodded, his expression surprised.

_She knows exactly what they will make her do. She knows everything, and she's still signing up willingly. _

"Then do what you have to."

"KIRUMAAAAA~!" The moment she exited the tea shop she was tackled into a hug by Kurenai.

"Yuhi-san, what the hell-?"

"She said she was looking for you," a familiarly indifferent voice said from behind her.

"Scarecrow, you didn't…" she growled, trying to disentangle herself from the happy black haired girl.

"It's Kakashi!" he snapped.

"I was looking for you all day!" she pouted, crossing her arms.

"You still haven't let me thank you properly!"

"I don't want or need your thanks," Kiruma snapped. "Just leave me alone."

"Not a chance!" she giggled.

"I'm busy today," she snarled.

"Eh? Where are you going?" Kurenai asked.

"Forget it, just leave me alone," she muttered, looking down. She wasn't in the mood to deal with her insane classmates. She was probably never going to see them again anyways. Who knew what Black Ops would be like?

"Hey, Kiruma, what's wrong?" Kurenai asked, lifting her chin so she could look into the redhead's eyes. Kiruma jerked her head away.

"Nothing." She glared at Kakashi. "Why are _you _still here?"

He watched her coolly for a moment.

"…I was just leaving." He turned and walked away, hands shoved into his pockets.

"Aw, Kiruma, why were you so cold to him?"

_I'm like that to everyone, you're just oblivious for some reason. _

"I have to make lunch for my family," Kiruma admitted with a sigh. "I'm going home."

"I'll walk you there-!"

"No," Kiruma cut her off abruptly, turning around suddenly. "You can't."

Kurenai watched her warily for a moment.

"Why are you so stubborn about not letting anyone know you?" Kurenai's voice was softer now, more serious.

"I don't know what you're talking about. We'll talk later. I have to go."

"Promise?" Kurenai demanded.

Kiruma shrugged. "…sure."

She turned and ran towards her house, whistling for Apollo. She had gone all semester without a problem, why did people start getting curious about her _now? _

She glanced to her left. Apollo was late. She whistled again, and a painful yelp that sounded horribly like her dog echoed through the streets. She skidded to a stop, tearing into the bottom of her shoes.

"_Apollo!" _she ran towards the sound, mind racing. Which street was he usually on this time of day? She darted between two houses, startling a cat that shot away from her and up a telephone pole. She jumped upward, rebounding off the wall of the house and swinging onto the roof. She glanced around, listening and watching closely around her. Another yelp of pain met her ears. Her heart started beating faster. That was definitely Apollo.

She ran towards the sound, and the barking of several dogs drew nearer. She rounded a corner and her eyes widened in horror. A bloody dog fight was taking place right before her eyes, with two dogs viciously attacking Apollo, who was growling and snarling at them as he stood his ground, but even she could see the terror in his dark brown eyes.

"_Get away from him!" _she screamed. The shriek made the two other dogs pause, glancing up at the sudden sound. She was about to bolt towards them when a hand came out of nowhere and grabbed her around the neck, slamming her against the wall of a building.

"You… why you?!" a murderous voice hissed in her ear. She glanced up into the coal black eyes of Kakashi, whose expression was thunderous. Her eyes widened in surprise for a moment before anger set in.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded, her voice deadly quiet, even as breath was slowly choked from her lungs.

"Why would the ANBU choose you? What makes you so special?" Kiruma tried to pry his fingers off of her. So that's what this was about. He had overheard her conversation with Kendo sensei. But something was off. Kakashi was usually more composed than this. Now his eyes were cold and furious. She'd never seen him like this before.

She grinned wickedly, but it was strained.

"Does it bother you that someone's better than you at something, Kakashi?" she asked, wincing as his fingers tightened around her neck. His eye twitched.

_Now you've done it, Kiruma._

His gaze shifted to the dogs, and he nodded at the two that were attacking Apollo.

"Kill him," he ordered softly.

Kiruma's mind went blank with fury for an instant. Her lips parted to release a choked sound, deep in her throat. The dogs were Kakashi's. The animals lunged forward, sinking their teeth into Apollo's neck. At that instant, a deadly calm rage came over Kiruma. She raised her knee and kicked Kakashi in the stomach, forcing him back and ducking as he swung his other fist towards her. His movement seemed to be in slow motion. She grabbed his arm and twisted, hard, feeling satisfaction when she heard the bone snap. Ignoring his hiss of pain, she rolled in between Apollo and the dogs, wincing as the teeth from the first one sank into her shoulder, the other ramming straight into her torso.

_Don't use fire. Don't use fire. Don't use fire._

She could feel it coming, but she couldn't control it. She didn't want to kill anyone. Not until she had to. She shoved the dogs off and grabbed Kakashi by the shirt, pinning him to the ground and sitting on top of him to keep him down. His eyes widened in shock. He seemed to be breathing heavily, though it was hard to tell with the mask that covered the lower half of his face.

"If you have a problem, you come to _me," _she hissed. "_Never _go after my dog, or I will kill you." Her hands began to smoke, burning through his shirt. One of his dogs lunged at her, tackling her off of him, and buried its teeth into her waist, shaking its head back and forth. She snarled and kicked it off of her, wrapping her arms around Apollo's neck. Her hands came away bloody.

"A-Apollo," she gasped, struggling to breathe. She looked at her hands and then at her dog, who was whining softly. He licked her shoulder and she winced.

"Stop," Kakashi ordered quietly. The dogs backed away obediently. He struggled to his feet and crouched in front of her, looking her up and down.

"You weren't supposed to get hurt," he muttered with a frown. She glared at him with hatred. The hateful look in his eyes had faded somewhat, and now he seemed somewhat guilty. She hadn't been the cause of his anger. She had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. But that didn't excuse his actions.

"I'll get bandages," he offered.

"Don't bother," she snarled. "You take care of your dogs. I'll take care of mine."

"I meant for you."

She took a deep shuddering breath, trying to control her anger.

"Go home, Kakashi. Your arm's broken."

"I've had worse. You on the other hand-"

"I'm used to it," she answered, her voice hollow and resigned. He started at the change in her tone.

"Koizumi-"

"Enough." She didn't look at him. She gently picked up Apollo, who remained limp in her arms. His tail drooped towards the ground, eyes closed. "Enough."

She turned her back to him and walked home slowly, using all the back roads so that she wouldn't be stared at by common passerby. She could sense him following her, but was too tired to do anything about it.

"You can't come inside," she remarked quietly once she reached her house. She couldn't see him, but she knew he was there. She walked inside, doing her best not to track blood around the house. She laid out a towel on the table and gently set the german shepherd on it, quickly getting the first aid kit and fresh bandages. The work occupied her hands, but unfortunately left her mind free to wander. Hatake Kakashi. Father committed suicide. Mother had died just recently, or was fatally ill. She didn't know how, but she did see the preparations for a second gravestone when she went to leave flowers for his father, as she did every month. She was assuming the former. That was where his anger had stemmed from, the death of his mother, but why take it out on her?

He was hailed a prodigy, and got top scores in everything he tried. She was no competitor. Kiruma knew she was smart, and quite intuitive, if inexperienced, but her grades were intentionally low, her efforts in practice lazy. Was it the ANBU request? That was no honor. It was basically a polite way of asking her to go into slavery. Maybe it had just been a minor annoyance that had set him off. One last thing that made him lose his cool, even if it was only for an instant. She gave a quiet sigh, glancing at the clock on the countertop. Almost two o clock. She was late in making lunch. Well, it would have to wait. She used a warm cloth to wipe away the blood from Apollo's face and neck. Now that she had stopped the bleeding, it looked like he would be okay. At first glance, with his fur matted and dripping with blood, she had assumed the worst. Fortunately, most of the blood wasn't his. Their training had been paying off. She carried him to her bed and returned to the counter, cleaning it and making a hasty lunch. Her mother was in the bedroom still, and she had to clean herself up before going to the ANBU meeting place.

She glanced in the mirror and froze, mouth dropping open at her appearance. Her hair was a tangled mess, and flecks of blood dotted her pale face. Her grey eyes were wide and glaring, giving her an expression of quiet fury. Light purple and yellow bruises were forming around her neck, almost perfectly resembling a set of fingerprints. Her shoulder hadn't stopped bleeding, the blood spreading slowly across the front of her shirt, and her waist… the fabric hung limp, making her almost afraid to look underneath. The pain was beginning to set in, the shock wearing off, and with trembling fingers she lifted the red stained fabric. A small gasp came from the back of her throat. The flesh had been bitten into and almost torn off by the dog's teeth, leaving huge red gouges in her stomach. She dropped her shirt and grabbed the first aid kit from the counter, swaying as stars crossed her vision. She looked down frantically. A puddle of blood was forming on the floor.

_How could I not have noticed?_

She pressed a sponge against her waist and bit her arm to keep from crying out. Why did it hurt so badly? With shaking fingers she unscrewed the bottle of rubbing alcohol and unwillingly dumped its contents on the injury. A muffled scream tore through her, leaving her twitching on the floor, blinded by pain. She struggled to her knees, clutching her stomach with bloody hands. She grabbed the roll of fresh bandages, tearing off what was left of her shirt and quickly wrapping the burning injury. She filled a syringe with the painkiller, hands trembling, and plunged it into her arm, emptying its contents as quickly as she dared. After the initial sting, the medicine set in and she exhaled, calming herself down. She slowly cleaned and wrapped her shoulder properly, wiping away any excess blood on her face and body. Suddenly exhausted, she took every little step one at a time, finishing what she had to.

_Stand up, Kiruma. _She stood. _Clean up the mess. _She did. _Go change. _She walked upstairs, leaving the food for her mother outside the door. She felt a little better with each step she took, undoubtedly because of the painkiller. She tried to drag a brush through her hair before giving up and cutting it off at her shoulders. Problem solved.

She put on a clean long sleeve shirt and black pants, glancing at the paper as it materialized in her pocket. Training Room 6. Underground Complex. Password. That's what they want you to think. Time to go.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Author's Note: Hope you've enjoyed the story so far, all feedback appreciated :)**


	6. The ANBU

**6 – The ANBU**

_Training Room 6, Underground Complex; Password: That's what they want you to think._

Kiruma turned in a full circle. She hated riddles. She was incredibly good at them, but this was ridiculous. She glared at the two rooms before her. Training room 5, one of the doors read. She glanced at the one next to it. Training Room 7, it said. Training room 6 didn't exist. She scowled at the doors. This was obviously some kind of test, but witty brain challenges were something she didn't have the patience for. Kiruma didn't have a lot of patience, and she had plenty of her own problems to be concerned with without this one. The only thing that separated the two was a tiny bar with a few tables and chairs littered across the floor.

She glanced at the shinobi standing outside of training room 5.

"Hey," she said suddenly. "Where's training room 6?" he glanced at her, then smiled at her as if amused at her naiveté.

"Sweetie, there's never been a training room 6," he answered in a honeyed voice. Annoyed, she turned to the shinobi guarding training room 7.

"So?" she questioned impatiently. "Is that true?" he nodded. Kiruma suddenly had an idea. She walked towards the bar, pausing when one of the shinobi stepped in front of her.

"Miss, don't you think you're a bit young to be going into a bar?"

She glared at him.

"That's what they want you to think." The shinobi jumped away from her like he'd been burned. Amused, she walked up to the bartender, who eyed her warily.

"So," she began for the third time. "Training Room 6?" he just shook his head.

"Sorry, hon, the engineers who built this place got the numbering system wrong. Whoever told you to go there is just pullin' yer tail. Room 6 never has existed."

"That's what they want you to think, right?" she sighed. He just shook his head.

She scowled. Did she really have to explain everything?

"Genjutsu," she said pointedly. His eyes met hers, and some sort of understanding passed between them.

"So," he began. "You can recognize genjutsu, you know the password, and you have a note in your pocket with Danzo-sama's chakra signature, huh?"

She watched the bar sign shift until it read Training Room 6 in crooked letters.

"I'm in a hurry," she said quietly, eyes serious.

"In the back," was his only answer. She nodded her thanks and walked around him, pushing open the door. A staircase into the dark stretched out before her.

"Good luck," he muttered, but she heard something entirely different in his tone.

_No turning back now, _was what he was trying to tell her. She grimaced.

_I know._

When Kiruma reached the bottom of the staircase she paused, wondering how to continue. There were no lights, and no way for her to tell what was in front of her. She lifted her hand in front of her face, but saw nothing but endless darkness. This wasn't a journey for someone with achluophobia. Or with any phobia, really. She thought of her one fear and shuddered. Hopefully that wouldn't be a problem. She could feel the effects of the painkiller beginning to wear off, but her senses were sharpening with the pain, so she would just have to tough it out until they accepted her. She took a cautious step forward, stretching her bandaged fingers out on either side to feel for a wall, but her hands groped at empty air.

Listening carefully to make sure she was alone, she focused her energy into her chest, cupping her hands in front of her. Small flames raced from her heart, down her shoulders and over her arms and legs. Warmth trickled through her, until her entire frame was engulfed in a warm, subtle glow, lighting her surroundings. She would only be able to hold it for a little while until her own flames burned her, but the light gave her enough sight to determine a door in front of her. She walked towards it and extinguished the flames, just as the edges of her clothes began to smoke. Something like that used to exhaust her, but now she felt only mildly drained. She gripped the handle and a hiss echoed through the room. She drew her hand away and scowled. She had turned the metal of the door handle red hot just by touching it.

_This is what I need to control. _Frustrated, she waited until the handle had somewhat cooled before again grasping it and pulling open the door. It was heavy, and grated against the ground noisily as she struggled to open it all the way. Once she did, she was greeted by twenty or so other children, the youngest about five, the oldest maybe thirteen, all standing in formation in front of none other than Danzo himself.

He glared at her as she stood in the doorway.

"You're late."

None of the children moved, or turned to see who had entered. They stood strictly at attention, not making a sound.

"I didn't realize there was a deadline," she answered sharply, walking forward.

"Silence," he ordered, his tone biting. "You will learn respect in time, child."

_Good luck._

She just shoved her bandaged hands in her pockets, hoping the rest of her body had cooled considerably.

"Get in line."

There was an empty place in the square formation, and she slowly walked there, stopping when she was in line with the others. Danzo took in all of them, his expression set in a seemingly permanent scowl.

"Listen, and listen well. Most of you are here because you worked extremely hard. A select few of you were scouted as having a hint of potential. Before those egos of yours go to your heads, know this; all of you at this point are the lowest of the low. Your rank is at a zero among us. Get used to being a rookie of the ANBU. I expect respect, obedience, loyalty, and responsibility from each and every one of you."

He paused, allowing his words to sink in before he continued.

"You aren't Genin. Your first missions will not be community service and rescuing missing pets." You could hear a couple of chuckles throughout the recruits. "Your first mission will be difficult, and it may be your last. Understood?"

There was a murmur of assent.

"Very well. Today you will be receiving your partners. All of you will work in groups of two on your missions, no exceptions. A veteran ANBU member will give you your instructions. Dismissed."

As soon as he finished, the recruits relaxed, breaking their stances and turning to one another.

A boy next to Kiruma with short white hair and sharpened teeth turned to her with wide eyes.  
"What were you thinking?" he demanded. "Talking back to Danzo-sama?"

She watched him frostily.

"Why should I be afraid of him?"

"Why _wouldn't _you be?" another girl shot back, having overheard their conversation.

Kiruma scowled. "If I have to earn his respect, then he should earn mine."

The boy shook his head.

"You'll learn," was all he said.

Suddenly a man in a dog mask walked up to her and roughly grabbed her shoulder. She instinctively whirled around, hand coming up to block a blow, but he didn't attack her, instead shoving her towards a boy with blue hair and gold eyes.

"You two will be partners," was all the masked man said, before walking away and grabbing some other unsuspecting recruit. Kiruma looked the boy up and down. He was tall for his young age, with lean muscles making up his frame despite him seeming to be as young as she. His shaggy hair was ocean blue, contrasting with his piercing golden eyes. His skin was a deep tan, undoubtedly from spending a lot of time in the sun, and he had a peculiar tattoo on the left side of his face, starting from just above his eyebrow and stopping halfway down his cheek. The tattoo was pure white, contrasting against his dark skin, and looked like some sort of strange tribal pattern. He almost looked a bit wolfish.

He watched her silently for a moment.

"You look smart," he observed. "I like you."

She froze. That was it? He extended a hand, which she stared at suspiciously.

"I'm Salem, by the way, Inuzuka Salem."

"It's a pleasure," she answered insincerely, crossing her arms. He let his hand drop, a crooked smile appearing on his features.

"Do I get a name?" he asked kindly, a mocking twinkle in his eyes.

She didn't answer.

"You're the one that talked back to Danzo, aren't you?" he continued, recognizing her.

She nodded curtly.

"Nice," he praised her. "I wish half the people in this room had the guts to do that."

She shrugged.

"I'm not good at making friends."

"You don't have to be in this place," he promised. "I'll watch your back."

She blinked in surprise. No one had ever reacted this kindly to her cold exterior. Was something wrong with him? Why wasn't he requesting a new partner? Was it some sort of trick to gain her trust? She couldn't make any sense of it, and for some reason, she believed him.

Suddenly the ANBU's voice rang through the room. It was the same masked man that had put them together.

"Partners face each other," he commanded, tone ringing with authority. Kiruma faced Salem, tensing as pain shot through her torso. The effects of the painkiller were rapidly diminishing.

"You will face each other in combat. The winner will proceed. If the loser survives, their memories will be cleared and they will be returned home. You have ten minutes. Begin."

The clamor of weapons shot through the air as the pairings around them rapidly began to attack each other. Salem just stared at Kiruma. Neither of them moved an inch.

"A word of advice," she told him, tone bitter. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

His eyes grew serious.

"I don't."

She scowled.

"Attack me," she growled in a low voice.

"No." He stood relaxed, even as a kunai whizzed past his face and took out an unsuspecting recruit on the spot.

"If you don't, I will," she warned him, her voice reduced to a snarl.

She glanced around quickly. Several fights had already ended. There were only four pairs left, including them.

"So be it," he replied softly. Reluctantly, she drew a senbon from her sleeve and lashed forward, the needle grazing his cheek before he ducked, grabbing her arm from beneath. She rolled over his hand and kicked his legs out from underneath him. He fell onto his back, hitting the ground hard.

"If that had been poisoned, you'd be dead," she snarled, jumping away as he leapt to his feet with incredible speed.

"But it wasn't, and I'm not," he answered, smiling slyly at her. He seemed to be enjoying himself. Eyes narrowing, she took a defensive stance. He appeared behind her, swinging a shuriken towards her shoulder and she allowed her body to react instinctively. She twisted out of the way, rolling on the ground. She clenched her teeth as she felt the wound on her stomach reopen. Blood was freely flowing, and the bandages would be soaked in less than a minute. She forced herself to her feet and hurled two senbon at him with deadly accuracy, one narrowly missing his left eye and the other imbedding itself in his hand as he tried to form a seal. He let out a hiss of pain and tore it out, lunging towards her and tackling her to the ground. He grabbed her wrist and pinned her to the ground, eyes sparkling with amusement. Suddenly his expression grew surprised and serious.

"Hey… was your shirt always red?"

She kicked him off and jumped to her feet, noticing that her movements were getting slightly unsteady. She would have to end this quickly.

"Yes," she lied, charging him. "What does that matter?"

He grabbed her waist and tried to block her stab, but her hand jerked to the side when he touched her stomach, making her sink a shuriken into his leg rather than his waist where she'd been aiming.

She twisted out of his grip and collapsed on the floor, coughing. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Salem staring at his hand with an unreadable expression on his face. Her blood was dripping from it. He looked over at her and she wiped blood from her mouth, struggling to stand.

"Don't move," he instructed softly, eyes pained. She ignored him, successfully pushing herself to her feet.

"This… is nothing," she answered through clenched teeth, keeping her words short and her voice tight.

He formed a seal and pressed a hand against the ground. The white tattoo on his face began to glow, and water spread from his hand, instantly freezing to ice as it spread. The floor under her feet suddenly slick, she froze, watching him warily. The ice began to creep up her feet and she focused her chakra there, raising her temperature just slightly. The ice melted and evaporated instantly. He walked forward and in an instant ducked down and kicked her feet out from under her. She slipped, but not on the ice. She'd already made the ice evaporate. She slipped in the puddle of her own blood forming on the ground. He caught her before she fell, gently lowering her to the ground.

"I told you not to move." His voice was soft as stars swam across her vision.

"I don't… take orders… from you," she managed to spit out. He smiled slightly at that, but his eyes were sad.

"I wouldn't expect you to, but honestly… why would you come here half dead?"

She coughed suddenly, and he turned her head to the side so that she wouldn't choke on her own blood, golden eyes worried.

"…assisting the losers is prohibited," a dark voice said from above them. Kiruma hazily saw Danzo's intimidating silhouette before her.

"I didn't do this, sir," Salem answered.

"She came in this condition."

Danzo raised an eyebrow.

"…is that so? The weak are not permitted here."

Kiruma's hand clenched into a fist. She struggled into a sitting position, but Salem forced her back down.

She angrily shoved him back with her hands, singing holes in his shirt. His eyes widened.

"You-"

She forced herself to her knees, and then to a standing position, knees trembling. He stared down at her condescendingly and she met his gaze evenly, grey eyes glaring into his.

"Kick me out," she spat at him. "See if I care. But I'm not weak. This is your loss." Danzo stared down at her, seemingly unaffected by her words.

"Oh, really?" he questioned. He rested both hands on his cane. "Prove it."

"I don't need to prove anything to you," she spat, hands shaking.

"Then I don't believe you," he stated simply.

"She's losing too much blood," Salem tried to cut in, but Danzo raised a hand, silencing him.

"That is not my concern. She's no longer a part of this organization."

Anger flared through her. She slammed her fist on the ground in frustration, and suddenly flames erupted from her fist, flaring out a good twenty meters in every direction. Salem formed an ice shield just in time, blocking both him and Danzo from the blast, but it melted almost instantly. The fire raced up the walls, tracing cracks in the ceiling and causing half the lights in the room to explode into darkness. Kiruma stared at her hand is disbelief.

_Well that's new._

Danzo watched her with newfound satisfaction.

"Oops," she muttered, before her energy completely drained. Intense heat seemed to flare all over her body and the world tilted sideways before everything went black. The last thing she heard was Danzo's haunting voice, a satisfied note in his voice.

"You convinced me."

* * *

"Red, hey Red, wake up."

Kiruma's opened her eyelids a crack and immediately wished she hadn't. Bright light filtered through her unadjusted eyes and she winced, trying to see through the haze. The first thing that came into focus was Salem's face, his bright gold eyes staring into hers. He smiled when he saw her eyes open.

"Hey, look who's alive and kicking!"

"I-ice," she murmured, looking at his hand. He was holding a handful of ice up to her forehead.

"Yeah," he said seriously. "You're running a crazy high fever, you know that?"

"G-get it off."

He pulled his hand back, dropping the ice on the counter.

"You sure? You're temperature's 106 and rising."

_That's only a little bit above normal. _That's what she wanted to say, but her mouth wouldn't form the words.

"W-why are you..."

"Taking care of you?" he guessed. He smiled at her. "Easy, I promised."

Her brow furrowed in confusion. She hadn't been taken care of since… well she couldn't remember. Had she ever been? She'd been on her own for so long now. This was strangely… comforting. She blinked, the rest of her surroundings coming into focus. She was in a hospital room.

He frowned slightly.

"Hey, how old are you? Seven?"

"…six," she answered reluctantly. He smiled crookedly.

"Then I'm a year older than you." She didn't answer, too tired to come up with a retort.

"You seemed a lot older back there, but you look your age when you aren't fighting," he observed.

"How long?" she asked, coughing.

"A few hours," he answered. "The doctor said you should stay here for a couple of days."

Kiruma paled. "I can't, I have to go home."

"I can take you," he offered.

She shook her head.

"They won't let you leave without an escort."

She sat up slowly, noticing her fresh bandages for the first time.

"Hey, Red," Salem said suddenly. She glanced at him quizzically and he shrugged. "You wouldn't tell me your name, so I came up with a substitute. But listen, that's not the point."

He reached out and brushed his fingers along her neck. She jerked away, and instantly regretted it as a wave of dizziness passed over her. Her hands moved to cover her forehead with an inward moan.

"People hurt you a lot, don't they?" She shook her head, which only worsened her dizziness, and he glanced at her skeptically.

"You have a bruising handprint around your neck, bloody knuckles, a bullet grazing on your collarbone, and other injuries I don't even know how to explain. On your stomach and shoulder… are those _dog bites?_"

She looked away, biting her lip.

"So what if they are?" she asked defensively, her voice low.

"Most six year olds don't know the first thing about real pain, but look at you. You're a mess."

"You do," she shot back at him before she could stop herself. She'd seen it earlier. He watched her for a moment. "What makes you think that?"

She hesitantly took his arm and turned it over, revealing faint scars along his forearm. His eyes were unreadable.

"You noticed?" She nodded.

"That was a long time ago."

She nodded again, not pressing it. Other peoples' business was something she knew better than to go poking around in.

"I'm going home. I'll come back within an hour," she murmured.

"Don't try to leave me behind," he warned her with a smile. Without hesitation he picked her up and pulled her onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"If you try to get away, you'll hurt yourself," he promised when she began to protest.

"T-too heavy," she protested.

"Are you kidding?" he muttered. "If anything you need to gain a few." He frowned when he saw the feverish look in her eyes.

"Are you sure you need to leave?" he asked worriedly. She nodded, pressing her lips together. Her arms were burning hot against his neck as he walked outside of the hospital, listening to her whispered directions. The nights were getting crisper as winter approached, but thankfully the weather was half decent as he carried her the short distance to her home. She got down from his back when he reached her front porch.

"You live here?" he asked. She nodded tiredly.

"Stay out here, I'll only be a minute," she promised. He nodded.

"Set something on fire if you need me, okay?"

She nodded and his lips twitched upwards in a smile.

Kiruma walked inside and made dinner for her mother as fast as she could, fumbling with the chopsticks. Her fever was minor by her standards, but her body felt like it had been through hell and back. She walked quietly to her mother's room and pushed open the door. The lunch she had left earlier that day had thankfully been eaten, and Apollo was resting where she had left him, neck and torso bandaged. She handed her mother dinner with shaky hands.

"Ka-chan, eat up," she said with forced cheerfulness. Her mother slowly turned her head towards Kiruma, eyes dead. That empty stare used to terrify her, and she often saw that expression in her nightmares, but time had worn on, and with it Kiruma's fear had diminished, replaced only by the almost lost, lingering hope that maybe, someday, her mother might come back to her.

"I'm going to leave this with you, okay? I'm going to leave breakfast and lunch for you in the kitchen, so you'll have to get it yourself if you're hungry. I'll come back as much as I can, but I'll be really busy, so don't worry if I'm gone. Does that make sense, Ka-chan?"

She got no answer.

"Apollo's going to stay with you, and he'll get me if you need anything, so just take it easy," Kiruma said quietly, giving her mother a light hug. It was almost scary how frail her mother felt.

Kiruma stood with a sigh and returned to the kitchen, preparing meals for the next day. She left food for Apollo, who licked her hand, and grabbed her folder of the important financial papers she would need to sort through. Finally ready, she walked outside, where as promised, Salem was waiting, his blue hair standing out in the moonlight.

"Ready to go back?" he asked kindly. She nodded. He turned to carry her, but she punched him in the arm with a scowl.

"I can walk," she snapped, returning to her usual self. He grinned, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Suit yourself," he replied, a small smile on his face. "What's that?" He tried to take the folder from her, but she held it behind her back protectively.

"None of your business," she answered automatically.

"No need to be so mean, Red," he chastised. She blushed a bit, but defiantly said nothing.

"By the way, Danzo's letting both of us join." She glanced at him in surprise. His eyes glinted with excitement.

"Welcome to the ANBU."

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoy, please read and review :D**


	7. The Exams

7 – The Exams

Six months of training passed. The paired up fights at the beginning had just been to eliminate those who were weak enough to be killed. The survivors had been admitted only to be put through the harshest second stage of physical training they'd ever experienced. Their fortitude had been pushed to the extreme, and the rules of the ANBU organization had been all but branded into their minds. Each pairing learned to work together flawlessly, each of them having been paired specifically with their abilities in mind. Only ten recruits were left, leaving five extremely gifted pairs. Kiruma didn't trust Salem, but she was beginning to have a growing sense of companionship with the ice user. It was impossible not to. They worked, fought, and bled together until they could barely stand.

Her graduation exam for the Ninja Academy had come and gone. With Danzo's instruction she had continued her education and graduated as a Genin, so as not to raise any questions of her identity in addition to leaving open the option of her becoming a spy on the activities of shinobi. She and Salem had probably been the best matched pair out of the five pairs that had made it through training. They had improved at the same incredible rate, and now that hiding potential was impossible, Kiruma's abilities were really put to the test. Her true potential showed for the first time in front of others, and it was noticed. Everyone quickly learned that most of the recruits were prodigies. It was nearly impossible to succeed if you weren't. Kiruma had never considered herself a prodigy, but it was painfully obvious that she was extremely sharp and potentially dangerous when she lost control, which happened often when it came to her ability with fire.

"Everyone listen, I will not repeat myself." The ten recruits froze, learning from experience that Danzo speaking was something that should never be neglected.

"Your first mission begins tomorrow. I expect it to go flawlessly."

His voice was threatening as he rested both hands on his cane.

"Inari, Sousuke, Inuzuka, and Koizumi, you four have been selected to guard the upcoming Chuunin Exams."

Kiruma stepped forward with the others, crouching down and placing her fist on the ground, in the position of respect they had learned. She remembered the first time he'd asked her to bow to him and she'd refused. She shuddered slightly at the memory. A mistake she would not repeat.

"Come to the supply room, where we will issue your uniform, masks, name, and tattoo."

"Hai," they answered in unison.

She walked next to Salem thoughtfully, wondering what it would be like to guard the Exams. She'd never seen them before.

"I'm surprised," Salem said suddenly, glancing at her. "I thought that they trained you to not feel emotion here, but everything so far has just made us better fighters generally."

Kiruma snorted.

"The real training hasn't started yet," she answered. "This mission determines if we're good enough to be here. If we succeed, that's when they start playing with your mind." Her voice was bitter by the time she finished her sentence.

"You think so?" he asked, watching her curiously.

She shrugged, lips twitching upwards in a malevolent grin. "Well, I'd like to see them try, anyways."

But inwardly nervous tension was building in her gut. She knew they were capable of messing with her mind. Just as they had taught her respect. The Kiruma of six months ago never would have bowed to anyone, let alone an adult such as Danzo, and here she was, following orders and crouching in respect because they would kill her if she didn't. That was the price of being in the ANBU. Once you got in, you knew too much, so if you refused to cooperate or they suddenly considered you useless, they killed you.

"Wonder what Danzo-sama's thinking, letting a couple of six year olds guard the exams," one of the other recruits, Inari Kagome, muttered under her breath.

"He probably knows they're stronger than the stupid teenagers allowed to go," Kiruma shot back without turning.

Inari blushed, not realizing she'd been overheard. Her partner, Sousuke Gato, glared at her.

"Red," Salem scolded quietly. Kiruma just shrugged, unashamed. They were strong, and everyone knew it. They didn't have to like her for it.

"Or maybe he's hoping you'll get killed off so he doesn't have to deal with that attitude," Sousuke snapped. Salem's eyes ignited with fury at the snide remark, but she shook her head slightly, silently telling him it wasn't worth it.

"We're here." An ANBU veteran led them into the supply room, a massive area filled with all different sorts of uniforms and weapons.

A few other masked members approached, each of them standing by a recruit.

"Follow me," a deep voice murmured from next to Kiruma. She watched him grab the standard uniform and shook her head before he even took it off the shelf.

"I'm a fire user. If the clothes aren't fireproof then they have to be tightfitting and practical," she informed him blankly. She'd had enough experience burning off her own clothes and lighting herself on fire to know exactly how long that outfit would last. He gave a curt nod and tossed her a different uniform. She pulled on the tightfitting black shorts and tank top, latching her belt around her waist and pulling on the black knee high combat boots everyone would wear. He handed her the traditional grey vest and she pulled it on over the tank top, liking how snug it was. These wouldn't burn easily.

"Will the ink of your tattoo melt off in combat?" the ANBU member questioned. She nodded, dread building in her stomach.

"You can burn it into your skin or we can do it for you, but it must be permanent."

"I understand." He held out a metal mold of the small black flame tattoo and she held it in her hand. Within a moment it was red hot and steaming.

"Shoulder or leg?" he questioned.

"Leg," she answered. He handed her a cord of leather and she nodded her thanks before biting down on it. In one swift movement he grabbed her knee and pressed the red hot metal against her skin, right on her upper thigh. Her nails dug into his arm guard as pain exploded in her leg. A small hiss of pain escaped through the cord of leather and he looked up in alarm.

"You feel pain by heat?" he questioned, removing the metal mold. She spat the leather onto the ground, breathing heavily.

"Obviously," she managed to gasp. He bowed his head.

"My apologies. We would have sedated you first had we known-"

"It was necessary," she cut him off shortly. He bandaged the bleeding symbol and took a mask from the wall.

"From now on you will be known as Fox. You are not permitted to remove this until a higher authority such as Danzo-sama or myself allows you to." She nodded, struggling to her feet. Moving her leg still hurt. She took the mask and glanced at it curiously.

_Fox, huh? _

The slanted eyes and markings of the fox stared back at her. She shrugged. Could've been worse. She could've been a monkey or something. Now _that_ would be embarrassing.

"What is your weapon of choice?" he asked. She put on the mask, surprised when the slanted eyes didn't limit her visibility as much as she thought it would.

"Dual katanas," she answered. "…but I have my own." He nodded, handing her two blades.

"Are these similar to yours?" he asked. She glanced at them.

"What are these, four feet?" she shook her head. "Mine are thirty two inches. Are these high carbon steel?" she questioned with distaste. His eyes glimmered in interest as he realized she knew what she was talking about. He nodded. She shook her head disapprovingly. Steel was weak, and not as flexible as other metals.

"So you'll need a sheath for two three foot blades," he observed. She nodded, distracted.

"I'd prefer to wear them on my back instead of my waist."

He nodded and tossed her a strap with two loops for the swords to be pushed through.

"This way there won't be a problem even if the length is adjusted or you have to get a new one. She nodded.

"It'll do." She passed a mirror on the way back and paused, surprised. Her attire was a bit more daring than she would've preferred, but as long as it served its purpose it would have to do. She met up with Salem and tossed him the mission details the ANBU member had passed on to her. He looked good in his uniform, wearing his wolf mask on top of his head. He just stared at her for a second, eyes wide.

"What?" she snapped, glaring at him. He blinked, scratching his head.

"Ah, nothing," he answered quickly. She just shook her head.

"Inari and Sousuke are covering the perimeter. We stay on the inside and make sure nothing happens to the contestants that isn't supposed to," she informed him curtly.

Salem nodded, smiling wolfishly. "Sounds exciting." Kiruma could have sworn she saw a light blush on his cheeks and her eyes narrowed.

_Don't get any ideas, Inuzuka, _she thought with a scowl.

"Ne, Red," he said suddenly, his gold eyes becoming serious.

"Hm?"

"I don't want you fighting with those other ANBU members."

It took Kiruma a moment to remember what he was talking about. She briefly recalled Sousuke's snide remark.

"I don't remember ever doing what you told me to," she answered coolly, a hard edge in her voice.

"I know, but to be honest, you suck at controlling fire, and things could get out of hand fast. If you kill them, Danzo will kill you."

Kiruma scowled, glaring at him. She hated it when he pointed out her lack of control and he knew it.

"Fine," she muttered, adjusting her katanas so that they rested more comfortably on her back.

"I'm serious," he said, moving the mask so that it covered his face. "Promise me you won't fight them."

"I promise," she snapped, tired of the conversation. She turned and walked away, annoyed.

Kiruma retrieved her katanas from her belongings, unable to help admiring them for a moment. Kendo sensei had given them to her when she graduated as a Genin, despite her protests that it wasn't a big deal. The hilt was red and black, and the blades were polished silver, with a small flame pattern running down the length of the metal. They fit together at the hilt to form a double ended blade for when she was fighting a battle that called for a longer weapon. They were truly a work of art.

She slid them into place on her back and stood just as Salem joined her.

"What did they do to your leg?" he asked worriedly. She glanced at the bloody bandage.

"You should know a tattoo would just melt off," she answered dismissively. His eyes darkened in fury,

"So they… _branded _you?" She shrugged. She grabbed his shoulder as he tried to pass her, eyes icy.

"Don't," she murmured into his ear. "You'll just be asking for trouble." He reluctantly turned back towards her, watching her with an unreadable expression before finally agreeing.

"…let's go, then."

They arrived at the arena early and split up as soon as they were inside. As Fox, Kiruma would be keeping a close eye on the contestants while Salem would oversee the arena itself. She walked towards the few that had already gathered, tying her red hair back with a leather chord. She recognized most of them. Obito, Rin, Kakashi, and Gai were there, as well as two contestants she didn't recognize, but were introduced as Anko and Ebisu. There would only be three matches this year. Minato was also there, giving some last minute advice to Kakashi, Obito, and Rin.

_He must be their designated jounin, _she thought. She frowned slightly, a little envious. Danzo had forced her fail the team exam so that Genin duties wouldn't interfere with her own, marking her in her class as a 'lone Genin' who wasn't assigned a team. Not that she wanted to work with anyone, she just wouldn't have minded so much if Minato had been her assigned jounin.

Come to think of it, she hadn't talked to any of them in a while, having been busy with her ANBU duties and caring for her mother who, despite the odds, seemed to slowly be improving.

Any time they approached her she had remained cold and distant, knowing better than to build relationships outside her professional duties. Finally she had a job that was actually paying off the house expenses, and soon she might even be able to afford a doctor for her mother.

"Who're you?" Obito asked curiously, peering at her through his goggles with wide eyes. Kiruma remained silent, watching the contestants and their surroundings for any sign of a threat. She sensed nothing.

"They aren't allowed to answer, Obito," Minato chided. He turned to her, blue eyes questioning.

"Am I correct in assuming that you will be our guard?" She nodded curtly, turning her attention to the jounin.

"Fox," she clarified, and he nodded.

"Aren't you a bit young to be guarding the exams?" Kakashi asked darkly, eyes suspicious as he eyed her height, which unfortunately was even less than his.

_Only because of his hair. He's only taller because of his stupid hair._ She said nothing, biting back a sharp retort.

"You must be an elite!" Gai exclaimed, shooting her a thumbs up and a sparkling smile. Exasperated, Kiruma just remained silent, as she'd been taught in training. Kakashi was eyeing her with interest, arms crossed firmly over his chest.

"So… you're a good fighter?"

"The ANBU aren't here for you to practice your training," Minato said sharply, making Kakashi scowl.

"…Fine."

In the blink of an eye, Kakashi hurled a shuriken directly towards her face. She caught it an inch from her mask between two fingers before tossing it aside and resuming her position at attention. _Jerk._

Minato hit Kakashi on the back of the head and Kakashi winced.

"I was just making sure he was competent," the Genin grumbled.

_She, _Kiruma corrected mentally with a scowl. You'd think he'd be able to tell the difference.

"I assure you that is not something you need to concern yourself with, Kakashi-kun." Minato's voice was stern, before he smiled apologetically at her. She didn't move an inch.

The loudspeaker rang out clearly, making a couple of the Genins jump.

_Contestants, please make your way to the stands before the matches begin._

Majority of them began to file out, leaving through the door.

"Kakashi-kun, wait a moment," Minato called. The ninja stopped, eyeing his sensei warily. "Remember what we discussed. I do not want you using that move unless your life is threatened."

Kakashi simply answered with a curt nod and turned to leave, scratching his head and making his hair stick up more than it already did. Kiruma followed silently, hands loose at her sides. She followed a few steps behind Kakashi, carefully scanning their surroundings for imminent danger.

A shadow lingering in the hallway they were about to pass caught her eye. She stared at the faint silhouette, willing her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. She saw the outline of an outstretched arm, a hand, and… there. She blinked. A kunai. Whoever was hiding was definitely armed. She glanced at Kakashi. He hadn't noticed yet. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets, sullen scowl etched in his features. She wasted no time. She quickly sidestepped in front of Kakashi and roughly shoved him back, away from the hallway and into the concrete wall.

He smashed into it with a startled 'oof!' and she darted around the corner, grabbing the wrist of the ninja hiding in the dark.

She jerked him forward, out of the shadows, and kicked his feet out from under him, following him to the ground and firmly pinning him there with her knee, tearing his own kunai out of his hand and pressing it against his throat.

Kakashi stood up angrily, fists clenched.

"What was that for?!" he demanded angrily, glaring at her.

_You're welcome for saving your life, _she thought sourly, glaring at him through her mask. The ninja she caught let out a whimper and she pressed the blade harder against his neck, making him freeze. She leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"Try to lay a hand on a contestant again and you won't get away," she hissed. She roughly released him and he scrambled to his feet, shooting Kakashi a glare and giving Kiruma one last terrified glance before running off.

She stood and resumed her position at attention, waiting for Kakashi to continue following the others, but he paused, staring at her with an unreadable expression.

"I don't need your help," he said finally. "Stay out of the way."

She grit her teeth.

"I will do my job," she promised tightly, making her voice sound deeper than it was. "So I suggest you take your own advice."

The last line was unneeded, but served its purpose. With an angry 'tch', Kakashi turned and continued walking, again shoving his hands into his pockets. Kiruma slowly let out the breath she'd been holding. He hadn't recognized her.

She proceeded to the stands to join Salem, who nodded at her. She turned to watch the first match, Anko vs. Ebisu, and proceeded to watch the female attack and defeat her competitor with stunningly malicious intent. The first round having gone without incident, Kiruma turned her gaze towards the Hokage as the next match, Kakashi vs. Gai, was called.

He was sitting high up in the stands, in reserved seating, dressed in full uniform. She watched him blankly for a moment. That man controlled her fate in his two hands. She answered directly to him, despite the fact that Danzo was the one who'd be training her. Her attention turned to the match, where Kakashi had Gai beaten and bruised.

The silver haired ninja began to walk away, only to pause in surprise as Gai forced himself off of the ground, struggling to stand.

"Wait," he called, voice strained. "It's not over yet." He took a stance, and Kakashi watched him for a moment, bored.

"Give up," he said in monotone. "You've lost."

"I will never give up!" Gai shouted.

Kakashi sighed before again charging Gai, throwing him to the ground. Again Gai got up, resuming is defensive stance. Kakashi kicked the Genin's feet out from under him, again sending Gai to the ground, and for the third time, the worn ninja forced himself to his knees, then to a standing position.

"Just give up already," Kakashi growled, beginning to get agitated.

"Never," Gai spat. "I will never lose… to my eternal rival!"

Even from the distance she was at Kiruma swore she could see Kakashi roll his eyes.

"I told you. I am not your eternal rival."

He charged again and crashed his fist into Gai's stomach, sending the ninja into the wall, where several cracks appeared in the reinforced stone.

Gai fell to his knees, coughing, and then to the ground.

The referee stepped forward.

"Match-"

"Wait." Gai slid forward on his stomach, one eye swollen shut and bruises decorating the rest of his face.

"Give up already," Kakashi snarled, really agitated now.

"N… Never, my eternal… rival," Gai insisted, crawling towards Kakashi.

Kakashi's eyes darkened, and he formed several seals, grabbing his wrist. The air around them seemed to charge with electricity as chakra swirled around the silver haired ninja's hand. Blue electricity shot out from the ball of chakra and he raised it threateningly.

"I… am… not…" Kakashi brought his hand down on the beaten ninja.

"…_Your eternal rival!"_

Kiruma acted in an instant, sensing that Salem neither would nor could stop her. In a flash, she vanished from her place in the stands and appeared crouched over Gai as Kakashi's hand swung down, grabbing his wrist and bracing her other hand against the ground, stopping the ninja midswing. She winced as currents of electricity shot through her arm, but refused to release her hold. The chakra slowly sputtered out, the electricity dying with it, and Kakashi's eyes widened.

"You…!"

"This match is over," the referee declared, "Winner, Kakashi!"

Kiruma released Kakashi's wrist, looking down at Gai, who was unconscious. Medical ninjas rushed forward and carried him out on a stretcher, while the referee nodded at her.

"Thank you for intervening," he said brusquely. She nodded, about to return when Kakashi's gaze made her pause. He looked half angry and half guilty. He turned around and shoved his hands in his pockets, walking away wordlessly. She returned to the stands with a sigh, trying to ignore Salem's eyes boring into her mask.

"That was reckless."

"It was necessary," she answered abruptly.

"How's your arm?"

She just shook her head, done talking about it. He dropped the subject, and she glanced at her left hand, trying for the third time to move her fingers. She received no response.

_Wonderful._

The rest of the exam proceeded without incident, and Kiruma made her way down to the main floor of the arena just in time to see Rin throw her arms around Kakashi's neck, congratulating him excitedly. Kiruma watched impassively, just wanting to go home and make dinner for her mother at this point. Reports over the mission would be due tomorrow at noon.

She tensed as Kakashi pulled away from Rin and glanced at her, grimacing once before walking towards her.

"Fox," he started, averting his eyes. She didn't utter a word, half expecting him to get angry for interrupting his final blow.

"Thanks," he muttered, "…for stopping me."

She blinked in surprise. That was unexpected. She, Koizumi Kiruma, was being thanked by Hatake Kakashi? Not that he knew who he was talking to, but still… She wouldn't be forgetting this anytime soon. She nodded, not trusting herself to be able to disguise her voice twice. She watched the last few people trickle out of the room and sighed inwardly, wishing she could be one of them.

Suddenly she tensed as she sensed someone behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, but saw nothing. Before she even had time to blink, a hand came out of nowhere, grabbing the back of her uniform and dragging her back. She reacted instinctively, whirling around and grabbing the wrist of her opponent, twisting it hard and bringing up her other arm to punch him in the face, a blow that he blocked by catching her hand.

Kakashi reacted quickly too, crouching and sweeping his leg around in a kick that knocked her attacker's feet out from under him. He fell to the ground with a grunt and in a flash she was on top of him, holding his hands pinned over his head. His hood fell away from his face and Kiruma froze in shock, her entire body going rigid.

Yuuko. Her older brother was lying, struggling beneath her with his shaggy black hair falling into his eyes as it always did. Her mind went blank, and for a moment all she could think was eight months. Eight months he'd been gone. _Eight months. _Who had taken care of mom? Who had found work? Who had paid the bills? Who had made every meal, done every chore, worked ten hours every day? She had. And where had Yuuko been? Missing. For a moment she was so furious she could hardly breathe.

Every fiber of her being wanted to break ANBU rules and demand what he was doing here and why he abandoned her for so long, but she had a haunting suspicion that she would get killed for doing so, and that would lead her broken family back to square one. Kakashi handed her a kunai, and she just stared at it, confused, before realizing what the punishment for attacking an ANBU officer was. She took the kunai, turning her head to watch her brother. He eyed the weapon with apprehension.

"Wait!" he protested. "You're one of the guards here, right? I was just looking for someone, I thought you might know where she is! She's small, red hair, grey eyes, bad temper- Ouch!" Her nails dug into his wrists at the last comment.

"She's kind of pale, should be around six or seven years old-"

"Sounds like Koizumi," Kakashi muttered. Both of them froze. Yuuko sat up quickly, making Kiruma fall off of him with a disgruntled 'oof'.

"You know Kiruma-chan?!" Yuuko exclaimed.

"What of it?" Kakashi asked, looking wary.

"Where is she?" her brother demanded.

"Oi, calm down, I have no idea. We aren't friends." Yuuko's eyes darkened.

"Are you enemies?"

"I didn't say that. She doesn't talk about herself. She doesn't have friends. I personally haven't seen her since she became a Genin."

"She's a ninja?" Yuuko asked, eyes narrowing.

Kiruma grit her teeth together. _Get it together, Nii-sama._

Kakashi just shrugged.

Yuuko opened his mouth to speak more, but Kiruma interrupted, twirling the kunai around her finger and catching it. She nodded once to Kakashi, before grabbing her older brother's shoulder and shoving him in the opposite direction.

"Oi, where are we going?"

She didn't answer, instead dragging him around the corner and shoving him into a closet. She followed him, slamming the door behind her and whirling around to face her brother.

"Nii-sama! What the hell are you doing?" she demanded, shocked and angry and hurt all at once.

His expression went from confusion to shock as he recognized her voice.

"Kiruma-chan?" he questioned hesitantly. She took off the fox mask, revealing her dark scowl.

He lunged forward and embraced her tightly, almost choking the air out of her.

"Kiruma-chan, I finally found you."

"_You _found _me?" _she growled. "Where the hell have _you_ been all this time?"

"Kiruma-chan, what's wrong?" he asked, letting her go.

Kiruma closed her eyes, trying to placate her anger. When she spoke, her voice was trembling with rage.

"Otou-sama's dead. Ka-chan's been in shock because she killed him, and I've been taking care of our family with you missing for almost a year. Nii-sama, answer me. Where _the hell_ have you been?"

Yuuko's smile faded, and Kiruma knew he was about to say something that she wouldn't like.

"Kiruma-chan… Ka-chan didn't kill Otou-sama. I did."

**Author's Note: Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews and feedback, it is greatly appreciated. Expect a possible (brief) hiatus after Chapter 10 is posted on March 3, (nothing confirmed yet, just a heads up in case I get behind) and reviews are love.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, however I do claim ownership of Koizumi Kiruma and Inuzuka Salem. Oh, and my other additions like her mom and stuff. You get the idea.**


	8. The Beating

8 – The Beating

"Kiruma-chan, Ka-chan didn't kill Otou-sama. I did."

Silence. Kiruma stared at her brother, as if she was seeing something else. Something she didn't want to see. His coal black hair hung in his obsidian eyes, his mother's eyes. _Their _mother's eyes, that now suddenly reminded her of her father's. Eyes that could hurt human beings. Eyes that could kill.

"Kiruma-chan, stop." Yuuko's voice was pleading.

She stared at him, not knowing how to feel.

"Stop what?" she asked softly. She could tell he was unnerved by her sudden calm.

"Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?" Her voice was deadly quiet. All the snappiness and anger had left her tone. The sarcastic front had melted away, leaving an ominous aura around the red haired girl. She didn't often get like this. This wasn't the tough Kiruma. This wasn't the mean Kiruma. This was the genuinely furious and disgusted Kiruma. Not many saw this reaction. Minor annoyances made her lash out. True anger was displayed in her deadly silence, a quiet voice and a glare so dark even Yuuko shivered under its murderous stare.

"Like I'm a murderer."

_You are a murderer. _She almost said it aloud, but held her tongue. It was true. Before, Yuuko had been her loving, overprotective older brother that could brighten even her darkest days, but now… She watched him silently, wondering something she had never wondered or thought she would wonder about him before.

_Who are you?_

"Kiruma-chan," he began, but she cut him off.

"You have a lot of questions to answer, Yuuko_." _Her voice was soft and threatening.

He registered the casual use of his name with surprise, eyes widening slightly.

"No more 'Nii-sama'? Since when have you talked like you're older than me, Kiruma-chan?"

"Since I had to grow up, and take care of what you left behind," she answered calmly, her voice steady, but somehow relaying her anger in a manner that made her seem even more terrifying.

It was her eyes, he realized. The ash grey, almond shaped eyes that once stared at him so adoringly were now slanted in quiet fury.

"I don't have much time," he answered, wincing as her eye twitched. Not a good sign.

_Wrong answer._

"Then you shouldn't have found me in the first place."

The words were ice cold and biting.

He stood suddenly, the guilt still present in his eyes, but anger overshadowing it.

"Listen, Kiruma-chan," he insisted, gripping her shoulders. "He was _hurting _you. Otou-sama was hurting you. You told me he never hit you before but you lied. I _know_ you lied."

She listened in silence, eyes never leaving his. His hold on her tightened.

"I saw the bruises. You came home covered in them almost every day. You tried to hide them but I saw, and so did Ka-chan, but she did nothing." His voice was trembling, with rage or pain she couldn't tell. Probably both.

Kiruma's eyes narrowed slightly, but she gave no other indication she heard anything he said.

"Kiruma-chan, from the first day I saw the bruises on your body I wanted to kill him." Kiruma felt disgust curl in her stomach.

"When I ran, I didn't go get help, or leave like Ka-chan told me to. I ran to the window first, and when he tried to shoot you I got so, so angry." His voice was barely above a whisper, and his voice was thick, trying to hold back repressed emotion.

"I went through the back door. I saw Ka-chan knock him unconscious, and then leave with you, so I took his gun, and I- I…" he broke off.

"You don't understand," he whispered, hanging his head until it rested on her shoulder.

His hair tickled her cheek.

"Seeing you hurting all the time, and then lying to me and saying it was nothing…" His voice cracked and she slowly reached up and rested her hand on top of his head, now unsure how angry she was. Her father's death was her fault. She was the reason Yuuko had killed him. He choked back a sob, making a relieved noise in his throat when she patted his hair soothingly.

"He's not even your real father, and he wouldn't stop hurting you," he choked out.

He felt her stiffen, suddenly very still. A quiet gasp caught in her throat when she tried to inhale. She pulled back, forcing him to look at her.

"Yuuko, what do you mean he's not my real father?"

He blinked, staring at her for a moment.

"Ka-chan never told you?"

Kiruma hated surprises. She hated not knowing.

"Yuuko," she murmured, eyes once again darkening.

"Who the hell _am _I?"

There was so much she needed to know, so much she needed _him_ to know. She needed to ask where exactly he'd gone, why he hadn't come back, who her 'real father' was, if he knew why she burst into flames when she was distressed, how to take care of her mother, in addition to explain why she became a ninja, then joined Covert Ops, her mother's condition… there was so much.

"It's my turn to ask a question, before I explain," he insisted, smiling sheepishly when her expression darkened.

"This… outfit," he gestured at her uniform and the porcelain fox mask lying forgotten on the floor.

"Did you become a ninja? Or… some sort of guard?"

The corners of her mouth tugged downward into a grimace.

"I joined Black Ops," she muttered, dreading his reaction.

"You _what?" _His fingers curled into fists at his sides, his voice little more than a hiss.

She didn't repeat herself, feeling heat rush to her cheeks as she readied to defend herself.

"_Why?" _he demanded, eyes burning.

"Because mother went into shock when she kill- er, when she _thought_ she killed father," Kimura snapped, crossing her arms. "Bills had to be paid, and I wasn't going to allow her or Apollo to go hungry."

"Ka-chan…" Yuuko seemed to have trouble digesting the new information. "…Ka-chan went into shock? Then who's been taking care of you?"

She didn't answer, waiting for him to realize on his own.

_Exactly my point._

It dawned on him slowly.

"Kiruma-chan… you haven't been… alone, have you?"

"It's my turn to ask a question," she muttered, averting her eyes.

"Who is my father?"

He didn't answer, he was just staring at her, guilt filling his expression as he realized the implications of her situation.

"Kiruma-chan, a seven year old shouldn't be in Black Ops."

"A thirteen year old shouldn't kill a man," she answered icily. He flinched.

"Answer my question," she demanded quietly.

He sighed.

"It's too long of a story to tell now," he answered quietly. "I promise you, Kiruma-chan, I will tell you, and I will help you, but I have to get the authorities off my tail first."

"The police are after you." Her response wasn't a question. He nodded.

"I made it look like a suicide, but to make sure they checked the fingerprints on the gun. They took his body and analyzed it for evidence before burying him. They didn't find anything, but they came back to ask whether we wanted to bury him, but I said no and ran. I thought they were on to me."

"Sloppy," she murmured dryly.

He shrugged. "I panicked, and the Uchiha clan is sharp."

Then his dark eyes became serious.

"Kiruma-chan, I promise you, I will return as soon as I can and get you out of this mess. I'll come back, you can quit Black Ops, and we will help Ka-chan get better together."

"Okay," she answered simply. She didn't tell him that Danzo would take her life if she tried to leave with her memories. There were several things he didn't need to know. The fights she got into, her combat abilities, the emotion diminishing training she would soon endure… the list went on and on. She knew now that he would quite literally kill anyone who hurt her.

He watched her sadly.

"Out there… you had me on the ground in seconds. I never thought you'd learn to fight like that, Kiruma-chan."

She shrugged.

"Times change. I had to grow up." He frowned at that, but didn't comment.

He gave her one last hug, one that she reluctantly returned, and then he reached out and poked her cheek.

"Until next time," he whispered in her ear. Her lips twitched upwards and then he was gone.

_Until next time, Nii-sama._

* * *

After the encounter, Kiruma didn't want to return home. She couldn't shake the feeling of returning to a crime scene. The place where her brother killed her father. Why hadn't the Uchiha Police Force questioned her? Was her house simply assumed to be empty at this point? Was she and her mother simply considered missing? For some reason she couldn't shake the feeling that Danzo had something to do with this. She had left dinner for her mother on the table, so she wasn't in a hurry to go back as she mulled over her thoughts. She had already put away her mask and uniform into her bag, now dressed in the same outfit minus the grey vest and porcelain face piece. She desperately wished Apollo was with her. She had been leaving him at home to keep an eye on her mother, but now that he was fully healed and itching for action, it wasn't fair to either of them to leave him home.

_If Ka-chan keeps improving, _she decided, she would take him out with her just like she used to. As she was walking down the street, she paused by a familiar home.

Minato and Kushina's house. She suddenly felt a strong urge to see them again. Something about Yuuko's visit had awakened a longing in Kiruma, a longing for that sense of family, the kind she had only experienced twice, once when Minato had rescued her from bandits, and again when Salem stayed by her side and cared for her when she'd almost bled to death. Now her chest suddenly ached for that feeling, the feeling of belonging somewhere.

She slowly approached the door, staring at the smooth contours of the red painted wood, complete with a shiny brass knob and a doorbell to its left. She hesitantly raised her hand to knock, her fingers pausing an inch from the door. She sighed and dropped her hand.

"What am I doing?" she murmured into the empty air. Intruding would be rude, and what would she say even if they did answer the door? That she wanted to feel loved? Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. She dropped her hand and turned to leave, shaking her head at her stupidity, when suddenly the door opened on its own.

"I'll go get the- eh? Kiruma-chan?" Kiruma froze, her back to the warm voice.

She whirled around, coming face to face with a surprised Kushina.

"I… I was just leaving," she snapped immediately, horror filling her gut as she realized she had just pulled her rude attitude on the kindest woman she knew.

Something in Kushina's gaze softened, her expression suddenly understanding, and Kiruma wondered how on earth the red haired woman put up with her at all, let alone managed to understand impossible situations after just a few words.

"Kiruma-chan, join us for dinner," Kushina suggested, a soft smile toying with her lips.

"I have to get home," she protested, trying to make her words kinder, but failing miserably. "But… thank-"

"No you don't," Kushina waved off her excuse.

"I'm sorry to bother you," Kiruma blurted, before she could ruin another sentence by being rude. "But my parents are expecting m-"

"Kiruma-chan, I wasn't asking," Kushina said softly, her eyes serious. "Join us for dinner."

Kiruma sensed a threat when she heard one, but this threat was different. When Kushina insisted she stay, it was more like the overprotective motherly instinct was taking over, and the words had an underlying kindness that Kiruma envied. It wasn't a threat that hinted at true danger, just that this woman would not be denied.

"O-okay," Kiruma answered reluctantly. Kushina moved out of the doorway and ushered the girl in, coughing expectantly at her when she stepped onto the rug.

Kiruma glanced down at her shoes, and then at the glowering woman before her. She glanced back down, then back up, and paled when she saw Kushina's hands on her hips. She hastily removed her shoes and placed them by the door, sighing in relief when Kushina's glower instantly returned to its former smile.

"Minato," she called. "Kiruma-chan is staying for dinner!"

A moment later, Minato entered the kitchen, eyebrow raised.

"Is that so? What a pleasant surprise." He smiled at her, eyes twinkling mischievously.

"What has our little fox been up to lately?" Kiruma's heart stopped.

She stumbled back so fast she slammed into the door she had just entered, rattling the hinges as she stared at the blonde jounin in shock. He winked at her.

Kushina glanced between them before shaking her head with a sigh.

"I'm not even going to ask," she muttered to herself before setting the table for a third person.

"How?" Kiruma demanded, regaining her composure. His eyes sparkled with mischief.

_How could he have known?_

"You may want to consider investing in a different hair color," he suggested. "I do tend to be familiar with red heads, and have quite the fondness for them."

Kushina hummed contentedly as she filled Kiruma's cup with tea, inviting the child to take a seat. She did so, staring as Minato quickly pressed his lips against Kushina's cheek before serving the food.

Her head tilted to the side in confusion. Was that some kind of ritual?

"What was that?" she asked. Kushina turned towards her, her eyebrows coming together in confusion.

"What was what, Kiruma-chan?"

"Just now, he…" she trailed off, not sure how to describe it.

"The kiss?" she questioned, still a bit lost.

Kiruma's face scrunched up in confusion, an expression that made Minato chuckle.

"Kiruma-chan, do you know what a kiss is?" Kushina asked softly.

She shook her head.

Kushina glanced at Minato, her expression sad for a moment.

"You'll find out when the time comes," Minato promised, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. Warmth curled in Kiruma's stomach at the fatherly gesture.

_What about my real father? Will I find that out 'when the time comes' too?_

Kiruma scowled. She hated surprises.

"Do you ever want to get married, Kiruma-chan?" Kushina asked.

"That's not something you need to ask a seven year old," Minato chuckled.

"I can't," Kiruma answered automatically, taking a bite of the food. She almost whimpered in delight at eating fresh home cooking. Her own cooking had improved drastically, but was still nowhere near the incredible taste Kushina's offered.

"Why not?"

Kiruma stopped herself before answering. She had been about to tell them that she didn't want anyone to become like her father, before realizing that she would unintentionally be discussing her situation at home. Instead she settled for the half-truth.

"It would be cruel and unfair."

"In what way?" Kushina asked.

"Hmm," Kiruma pondered how to answer for a moment, setting down her chopsticks. The warm atmosphere of the room seemed to be enveloping her, making it easier to speak kindly, making it easier to pretend she had a normal life, but somehow it was just making her heart ache more.

"We're all in the military," she began carefully. "That's what a shinobi is, that's what both of you are, and essentially what I am," she paused, knowing better than to openly admit being part of ANBU Black Ops, even if Minato already knew. They nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"My life belongs to the Hokage," she said simply. "Not to myself."

Minato blinked in surprise, and Kushina's eyes narrowed slightly.

"If I pledged my life to another, for example a husband, it's not fair to him once I am killed on a mission, or forced to go somewhere I can't return from. Especially if he wasn't a shinobi. It's the price of being a shinobi, and wouldn't be fair to my partner."

Her eyes lowered.

"Love isn't for people like me."

Her voice was slightly bitter when she finished, and her cheeks flooded with color when she felt Minato and Kushina's stares. She returned her gaze to her food, and suddenly she wanted to leave.

It wasn't real. Kushina wasn't her mother, Minato wasn't her father, this happy sense of being in a peaceful family… It was all a façade, and she didn't want any part of it anymore. It was making her chest ache with longing for it all to be real. She pushed her chair back, standing with her hands on the table, eyes on her bowl.

"Thank you for dinner," she muttered, not meeting their eyes, before she turned and grabbed her shoes, running out the door before they could stop her.

She heard a shocked silence when the door closed behind her, than an exclamation that made Kiruma freeze for a moment.

"Minato, Kiruma-chan shouldn't know the pain of being a ninja yet! What was that? She sounded a hundred years old! Kiruma-chan's life belongs to her, not the Hokage, and she shouldn't be saying those things; she's still a child!"

Kiruma slowly stood next to the door, clutching her shoes to her chest, heart racing as the sick feeling grew in her stomach.

"Shh, Kushina, you'll wake the neighbors. I don't know Kiruma-chan's situation, she's very private."

"I thought you were going to keep an eye on her!" Kushina's voice was reprimanding.

"She was supposed to be on my team, but she purposely failed the team exam and Rin was her replacement."

Kiruma's stomach dropped. She would have been on Minato's team if Danzo hadn't forced her to fail. That pissed her off.

Having heard enough, she took off towards her house, clutching her shirt as if that would help still the sick, aching feeling in her chest.

"Tadaima," she muttered to the cold silence of her home, imagining Kushina with her apron on in the kitchen, wooden spoon in hand as she turned with a bright smile.

_Welcome home, Kiruma-chan. _

Stop. Kiruma shook the fantasy from her head. Her father was an abusive alcoholic who had been murdered by her brother. Her mother was in shock, but very much alive.

_Appreciate that you still have her, _Kiruma scolded herself. _She's getting better._

She was about to close the door behind her when a chilling voice stopped her in her tracks.

"So," the voice drawled. "This is where the _freak _lives."

* * *

Kiruma turned slowly in her doorway, hand clenching the brass doorknob with so much force a crack appeared in the wood it was attached to. Standing in the street, arms crossed smugly across his chest, was Sousuke Gato, with a hesitant Inari Kagome at his side.

Sousuke was a huge guy, with bulky muscles bulging from his arms and torso, clearly defined by the sleeveless tank top he wore, his standard ANBU sword looking rather small and insignificant strapped to his broad back. His grey hair and beady black eyes gave him a rugged look, and he seemed over twice Kiruma's height. Inari on the other hand, couldn't be more petite. She had the lean muscle all the ANBU recruits had gained, but her brown hair tied back in long pigtails made her look thirteen at the most, despite her actual age of fifteen. Her round blue eyes were wide and innocent, everything about her radiating weakness. Despite that, she had a nasty skill with poisons, while Sousuke's forte was physical combat, as his physique suggested. One look at the two told Kiruma several things.

One, they were paired because Sousuke had an immense protective instinct. That was clear by the way he forced himself in front of Inari as she faced them.

Two, he was the one picking this fight. He couldn't let go of her insult earlier, and was going to act on it. So he wasn't the smartest guy.

Three, she was in for a beating. Kiruma remembered her promise to Salem.

"_I'm serious, promise me you won't fight them."_

"_I promise."_

She sighed and stepped back outside, into the street, quietly closing the door behind her.

Barely had the door latched shut before Sousuke appeared directly in front of her, grabbing her around the waist and throwing her down onto the concrete. She coughed as she hit the ground hard, wincing as she smacked her head against the pavement. She pushed herself to her knees, glaring up at Sousuke as blood dripped from her head and into her eye, trailing down her cheek and dripping from her chin.

"Not so cocky, now, are you?" he growled. "This'll teach you to insult the strongest team in Black Ops."

He gripped her wrists and pinned them above her head, eyes flashing.

"Remember me now?" he hissed into her ear. Her eyes shot open in surprise. He was one of the thugs that had attacked Kurenai that day in the Academy, what seemed like years ago.

"You," she breathed, fire beginning to rage in her eyes. He had almost _raped _her.

"They kicked me out of the Academy because of you," he snarled, his face twisting to mirror her expression of fury. His voice lowered to a hiss, his foul breath hot in her face.

"Unacceptable behavior for a Genin, they called it. And now I'm stuck in this hellhole, all. Because. Of. You!" With every word the pressure on her wrists tightened, until she felt one of the bones crack. Pain shot through her left arm and she bit her lip to keep from crying out. A different kind of pain, more jagged and unpredictable, shot through her arms, making his gloves begin to smoke. His wicked smile widened.

"That won't work on me."

He was wearing fireproof gloves. She took a deep breath and instantly regretted it as pain shot through her ribs. Had she broken one?

_Don't kill him, don't kill him, you made a promise, _she chanted in her head.

"I don't want to fight you," she muttered through her teeth, almost biting her tongue off from the effort of speaking.

"Damn straight you don't want to," he growled, raising his fist, presumably to bash her face in.

"Wait, Sousuke," Inari called calmly, her voice high and feminine. He froze, releasing Kiruma's wrists and slowly backing up. Inari wrapped her fingers around Kiruma's neck and dragged the girl to her feet.

"Well, _freak?" _she asked silkily, eyes narrowing as she smiled, revealing a set of perfect white teeth. "Go ahead, burn me. Show me what you've got."

Kiruma's teeth clenched as she glared at Inari, her previous assumption overridden.

_Innocent, my ass, _she thought. _This one's pure evil._

"Scared?" Inari asked, her face puckering in mock sympathy. Her fingers tightened around Kiruma's neck, making the ninja lightheaded from lack of oxygen. Her lungs began to burn. Inari curled her other hand into a fist and slammed it into Kiruma's gut, releasing her neck. Kiruma fell to the ground a second time, gasping. In a flash, Inari was sitting on top of her, hitting her with every ounce of power she had. Every time a hit made contact, Kiruma's body shuddered, unwilling to take more damage.

"Fight back!" Inari screamed, slamming her fist into Kiruma's face. Kiruma's head snapped to the side, pain shooting through her skull.

"Are we not good enough for you?!" Another hit, this time catching her neck. Pain exploded in Kiruma's shoulder, directly where the scar on her collarbone was. She gave a quiet gasp, but clamped her mouth shut directly after, refusing to give them the satisfaction of hearing her scream and instead locking her gaze with Inari's, her eyes defiant yet resigned.

"Stop. Looking. At. Me. Like. That!" With every word, every strike, Inari seemed more enraged, to the point where Sousuke actually pulled her off.

"Inari, we have to leave before someone comes," he growled urgently. "Danzo-sama won't be happy if he finds out we beat up his prodigy."

Inari snarled at him.

"Nobody will come for her," she growled. "She's alone!" Inari leaned over Kiruma, whispering in her ear.

"Isn't that right, freak? You're alone. Nobody wants you. And you know what else?" She reduced her voice to little more than a hiss.

"Danzo-sama isn't going to get his precious prodigy, because you will die alone, too." Before Sousuke could stop her, she drew a kunai and plunged it into Kiruma's lower ribcage, before leaping to her feet, grabbing Sousuke's hand and running away as fast as she could. Kiruma's body jerked and convulsed, curling around the weapon impaled in her chest as blood spread across her shirt. At that point she couldn't help it. A small whimper of pain escaped her lips.

Before she went unconscious, Kiruma only had one thought.

_Thank Kami, she missed my heart._

Because true to Inari's words, when Kiruma woke up, hours later, she was lying in the street, surrounded by her own blood, and she was completely alone.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Author's Note: I'm feeling like it's about time Kiruma got a break. How far can an author push a character until they break? I'm afraid I'm hovering on that line... I'll work on it. Please let me know if there are grammatical errors or loose ends, I usually edit each chapter three or four times before posting, but everyone makes mistakes, so all feedback and criticism is greatly appreciated. Please review, and I hope you liked the chapter!**


	9. The Rescuer

9 – The Rescuer

Kiruma couldn't speak. She couldn't move. Well more, her body wouldn't respond to her mind's commands. Her left arm she feared was damaged beyond repair, first from the electricity of Kakashi's attack and then from the fracture Sousuke had inflicted. Her eye was sealed shut with blood, eliminating her depth perception, and her head was pounding, as was the scar on her neck.

All these injuries dimmed in comparison however, to the kunai knife lodged firmly in her gut.

_Move, Kiruma. _Her hands had found the handle of the weapon, fingers curled around it and covered in her own blood, but she had no strength to pull it out. A dry sob tore through her chest. A second cry of pain escaped her lips, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

_Move, Kiruma! _Another wave of pain swept through her and her body shuddered. She drew a ragged breath.

_If you stay here you'll die. _She unclenched her hands with trembling fingers.

_**Move! **_Kiruma rolled, bracing her hands on the concrete and slowly pushed herself to her hands and knees, clenching her teeth and tasting blood. Nausea swept through her and she gagged, vomiting onto the street. Her vision swam, and she desperately dragged a hand forward, trying to crawl out of the road. Her hand landed in a puddle of half dried blood and she collapsed to the ground again, this time on her side. Red strands of hair stuck to her face as thunder rocked through the stormy skies. Her whole body went rigid as fear swept through her.

_Please, not rain. Anything but rain. _A flash of lightning lit up the heavens and electricity seemed to sizzle in the air. Kiruma shuddered, feeling her heartbeat begin to race.

"_No!" _She might have screamed it aloud, but with her eyes tightly closed, lips parted as tears streamed down her bloodied cheeks, she couldn't tell.

A drop of water splashed next to her face and she flinched, recoiling away. Another drop hit her left temple and she whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut as if she could wish the rain away.

_Make it stop. Please, please just make it stop._

Through the haze of blood and tears a pair of shoes materialized. They were sandals, typical of a shinobi, and she closed her eyes again. So Inari had come back to finish her off.

Life sure was cruel.

More water droplets fell from the sky, and she flinched, instantly regretting it as pain tore through her broken body again. She felt a soft fabric cover her, blocking out the cursed rain, and she exhaled slightly, opening her eyes just enough to see her breath fog up in front of her. Strong arms lifted her and the world tilted as her head lolled to the side. She lurched forward suddenly, and blinding pain shot through her body, making her instantly lose consciousness.

* * *

When Kiruma opened her eyes, she didn't know where she was. She was in a square room, made up of a bed, which she was currently lying in, a nightstand, and a desk opposite the room, facing the window. The room was sparsely decorated, the only wall hanging a small portrait of a scarecrow placed over the desk. One look at the portrait told Kiruma exactly where she was.

_Oh, Kami, no._

The door opened and sure enough, Hatake Kakashi entered, his eyes widening a fraction when he saw that she was awake. He looked like he always did, dressed in black from head to toe, mask obscuring the lower half of his face, and his forehead protector tied tightly around his head, pushing his hair up so that it stuck impossibly higher.

"You're up," he commented, eyes disinterested and far away.

Her eye twitched slightly at his cold tone.

"You," she muttered, eyes never leaving his. Her tone was suspicious and her gaze untrusting.

"If you're feeling well enough again, get out," he told her brusquely. "You've been here long enough."

Kiruma wanted nothing more than to do exactly that. She needed to know how long she had been unconscious. It had clearly been a while as her injuries were nowhere near the vomit inducing pain she had felt the day she'd sustained them, but a nagging issue was pressing at the forefront of her mind, leading her to ask something that had been bothering her since her first days at the Academy.

"Why do you hate me so much?" she questioned, sitting up so that the blanket fell off her shoulders.

"Why do you hate yourself?" he returned evenly, obsidian eyes boring into ash grey. She paused, surprised, but hid the brief emotion well. The question unsettled her more than it should have, but she kept her features smooth and expressionless.

"I asked first," was her only reply. It came out colder than she intended, but then again, what didn't these days?

He leaned against his desk, completely bare save for a single picture frame, one of his team and his sensei.

"I don't… hate you," he began carefully, eyes never leaving hers. "You simply... aggravate me."

She almost smirked.

"You don't try, and yet you receive everything." His voice turned bitter. "You blow off practices and never work to achieve anything, yet still you manage to pull off getting noticed by Danzo, and pass all the exams you bother taking. For someone who has to work to get anywhere, it is extremely… _irritating_. I don't know or care whether it is luck, or if your family buys your way through rank for you, but you've obviously had it easier than most, and you still act ungrateful and as if everyone is your enemy."

Kiruma remained silent throughout his speech, knowing he couldn't be farther from the truth. As if her family was bribing anyone so that she could get to where she was now. Her family was broken, one dead, one a criminal, and one who didn't recognize her; she just didn't let anyone find out. As she'd predicted, the reputation she'd earned was a spoiled and rich delinquent who got everything without trying. Well, so be it. Everyone _was _her enemy. Inari had made that painfully clear when assuring her that she would die alone. Which she very, very nearly did.

She stood with a sigh, wincing slightly as her freshly bandaged injuries stretched.

"You shouldn't have helped me," she told him softly, too exhausted mentally and physically to act snappy and rude like usual.

"What else should I have done? Leave you in the street to die?" He wasn't speaking compassionately, or as if he felt obliged to do the right thing, but as one who had done what seemed logical in the circumstances. It had been like that since his father had passed.

"Yes," she replied abruptly. "That's exactly what you should have done." Her voice was hard, eyes icy.

_I don't need his help. I don't need anyone's help._

"So it's true," he observed quietly. "You do hate yourself."

"Stop talking like you know me," she snapped, now genuinely annoyed with his omnipotent tone.

"I do know you."

Anger flashed in her grey eyes.

That was an outright lie. She crossed the room in a single stride, grabbing Kakashi by the collar and dragging his face down to her level.

"Listen, and listen well, _Scarecrow," _she snarled. "You do not know me. You do not know the first thing about me, so don't you dare act like you do. Quite the opposite, actually."

She released him, suddenly feeling her energy drain from the hasty movement.

"You think you know me better than I know you." It wasn't a question.

"Oh, I _know_ I do," she promised, crossing her arms across her chest.

"What could you possibly know about me?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you sure you want me to tell you?" she questioned, eyes wary. He nodded, gaze narrowing as she resumed sitting on his bed.

"Hatake Kakashi, you're the son of Hatake Sakumo, known as the White Fang, who committed suicide after saving a comrade at the expense of the mission." He stiffened, eyes widening a fraction. She continued.

"Your mother died of illness soon after, the reason you were so angry and volatile the day you set your dogs on mine and almost killed me."

Her voice was even, not giving away a hint of emotion, but her eyes were shining with anger. "You graduated the Academy at age six, put on a team with Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin under Minato-san. You recently defeated Might Gai in the Chuunin Exams."

Kakashi's eyes were still wide at the mention of his parents, and his fingers clenched the desk behind him so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"Shall I continue?" she questioned softly.

He gave a noncommittal jerk of his head, not answering her. She took that as a no and ran a hand through her choppy red hair, offering a long sigh.

"The day my dogs attacked you… That shouldn't have happened." His voice was short and low. She snorted, having to keep herself from rolling her eyes. That day felt like years ago.

"Scarecrow, is that your idea of apologizing?" She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest. He looked like he was about to retort, but stopped himself, guilt crossing his face briefly before disappearing so fast she wasn't sure it had ever been there.

"Koizumi I'm-"

"Save it," she interrupted icily. "I wasn't serious, I don't need your apology." He blinked, but slowly nodded, expression bordering on slight interest for the first time.

"I still know more than you give me credit for," he stated calmly, his voice resuming its dull monotone drawl.

"Oh really?" she challenged with a raised eyebrow, unfazed by his attitude shift. He nodded, crossing his own arms to mirror her pose.

"You really think you know me," she murmured softly, slightly amazed at his ignorance. This boy was supposed to be a genius, a prodigy, yet failed to realize exactly how much people were capable of hiding.

"Hatake," she challenged with a grim smile. "What is my dog's name?"

She watched him freeze, undoubtedly racking his brain for an answer to the question that anyone could and should've known. Not for the first time, she had surprised him, caught him off guard, even. Her simple challenge had rendered him speechless, and that was the only evidence she needed.

She grimaced at his silence before letting out a long sigh.

"That's what I thought. I'll see you around, Scarecrow. Thanks for helping me out, but please don't do it again." She turned and opened the door to leave, when Kakashi blurted something that made her pause in the doorway.

"…Apollo! His name… is Apollo... Isn't it?"

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and she kept walking, closing the door quietly behind her.

_Apology accepted._

"Tadaima," Kiruma called as she walked into her home. "Welcome home, Kiru-chan," she answered herself for the millionth time.

Her mother was sitting at the kitchen table, a half-eaten bowl of soup in front of her.

"Wel…come… home," he mother whispered, voice hoarse. Kiruma's bag dropped from her fingertips and fell to the floor as her heart nearly stopped.

"Ka-chan?" she questioned suspiciously, not daring to get her hopes up.

"K-Kiru…chan," her mother finished, eyes staring furiously ahead.

"Ka-chan!" Kiruma ran to her mother, kneeling at the frail woman's side. She clutched her mother's hands with her bandaged fingers, heart leaping when they weren't the frigid cold she was used to.

"Ka-chan, did you make this soup yourself? Are you starting to feel better? Can you hear me?"

Her mother's voice opened and closed, no sound coming out.

"D-don't overdo it, Ka-chan," Kiruma blurted. "I'll take care of you, you'll be okay. Don't worry about talking too much yet, okay? Things will get better, you'll see."

Heart pounding, Kiruma placed her mother's hand on her face, closing her eyes and looking down so that her mother wouldn't see the tears of joy rolling down her cheeks.

"Hurt," her mother murmured, touching her head. Kiruma had longed to feel that touch for so long.

"You're… hurt… Kiru-chan." Kiruma sniffed, wiping at her face and smiling at her mother.

"This is nothing," she lied with forced cheerfulness. "Doesn't hurt a bit."

Kiruma hastily wiped away the few tears she'd allowed to slide down her cheeks. How pathetic was it to cry just because her mother had said a few kind words? She shook her head, exasperated by her own actions. By her own weakness.

_Toughen up, Kiruma. _

She got to her feet, squeezing her mother's warmer hands, and her heart leapt to her throat when her mother faintly squeezed back.

Apollo padded up to her and whined quietly, licking her hand.

"It looks like we can start training together again, Apollo," she murmured, smiling at the German shepherd. His ears pricked upwards, tail wagging happily.

Kiruma helped her mother finish eating and cleaned up the dishes, her mood better than it had been for ages. Finally something good was happening.

After Apollo getting attacked, Kakashi nearly killing her, finding out the police were after her brother, and getting beaten and left for dead in the road by a man she'd previously saved Kurenai from and his sadistic partner, she'd begun to think some higher entity was deliberately making her life hell.

She jumped, startled, when there was a quiet knock on the door. Both her and Apollo's heads snapped to the door.

This was the second time someone had visited her since her father had been murdered. She quickly ushered her mother into the bedroom before approaching the door, Apollo at her heels. She opened it a crack and her grey eyes met brilliant gold.

"Hey, Red, thought I might find you here."

She opened the door wider, blinking in surprise.

"Salem?"

"Mind if I come in for a bit?"

Her lips pulled down into a slight frown.

"What do you want?"

"Right now I'd like to come in," he teased lightly, grinning in that wolfish way of his. Instead of permitting it, she took a step outside and closed the door so that they were both standing on the patio.

"What do you really want?" she asked.

He shrugged, sitting on a step and motioning for her to join him. She did so, slowly.

"First of all, you haven't turned in your report on your first mission," he remarked warily.

"You've never handed in an assignment late in your life."

"Actually I do it all the time," she answered indifferently. "In the academy-"

"You didn't try in the Academy. Black Ops is different for you."

His eyes looked her up and down, lingering on her stomach where her shirt hid the fresh bandages on her stab wound. There was a tense silence.

"You fought them, didn't you?" he asked in a low voice.

"What are you talking about?" she asked slowly, bristling slightly at the accusation.

"Didn't you?"

"Of course not," she snapped, "I've never broken a promise."

Suddenly he was looming over her, one hand braced on the step next to her and the other clenching the fabric of her shirt.

"Lift up your shirt, Red."

Heat flooded into her face and she smacked him hard across the face, grey eyes burning.

"Get your hands off of me," she hissed.

He didn't move an inch, blue eyes boring into hers. He didn't say a word, though his face was red where she had smacked him.

His fingers again toyed with the hem of her shirt.

"...I'm not asking you to strip for me," he assured her finally. "Just prove that you aren't injured."

"That's none of your business," she snapped immediately.

He reacted so fast she didn't have time to blink. One second she was sitting and the next he'd grabbed her by the front of her shirt and pulled her close to him until they were directly eye level.

"It _is _my business, Red. Don't you dare say it isn't. We're partners. I'm supposed to watch your back, you're supposed to watch mine. Your eye is swollen, the scar on your neck looks torn to shreds, your wrists are covered in bruises, and there's blood in your hair. I _know _something happened, and I deserve to be told about it. You _smell _like them."

She pried his hands off of her, looking down.

"Is the late report all you came to tell me?" she questioned quietly, voice bordering on dangerous. "I'll get it turned in today."

He watched her for a moment.

"No," he answered finally. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get angry. I just hate when you act so… so damn tough. Like nothing can hurt you. It's okay to have feelings."

She just shrugged. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not... but no, that's not what I came for."

She blinked.

"I didn't want you to be angry when I said this, but-"

A scuffle behind the door cut him off. Kiruma watched impassively as a slight frustrated bark came from behind the door.

"You… have a dog?" Salem asked, surprised. There was some unidentifiable emotion in his golden eyes as the latch clicked open and Apollo came bounding out, straight into Kiruma and knocking her to the ground.

"Oof," she let out as she smacked into the sidewalk. Pain shot through her torso, but she ignored it.

Apollo stepped off of her and he turned to sniff Salem, tongue lolling happily when he offered his hand to the german shepherd.

"He loves you," Salem murmured quietly, his voice suddenly hushed.

"Huh?" Kiruma pushed herself into a sitting position. Then it clicked.

"Ne, Salem, you're an Inuzuka, aren't you?" He nodded, eyes never leaving Apollo. He rested his hand on the dog's head and patted him gently.

She didn't push and ask where his dog was, though the silent question hung in the air.

"…she died," he admitted finally.

"Oh." She offered no sympathy, and he didn't ask. That was just the way their relationship worked.

"So you can probably understand Apollo better than I do."

He shrugged. "I wouldn't say that, I just understand what he tells me."

"Oh."

She resumed sitting on her front porch, watching thick clouds roll over the sun, casting them in a slight shadow.

"Salem…" she began hesitantly.

"Hm?"

"Do you… do you want to come in?"

He blinked at her in surprise.

"Sure."

She opened the door and followed him in, Apollo trailing after her.

He took off his shoes and glanced around her house, smiling slightly at the family picture that hung on the wall.

"Are these your parents?" he asked.

"Yeah, and my brother," she answered after a moment.

"Are they here?"

"Out," she answered stiffly.

"Hm."

She made him a cup of tea and sat down. He sat opposite her, smiling that wolfish smile she'd never admit she loved.

"Thanks."

He sipped at the tea and set it down.

He took a small box out of his pocket and set it on the table.

"This is for you," he stated simply. She made no move to take it, instead eyeing it warily.

"What for?"

"For your birthday of course."

Kiruma just stared at him.

"It's not my birthday," she stated bluntly.

"Red, you don't even know what day it is, do you?"

She frowned slightly. How long had she been out at Kakashi's? He stood and walked over to her, placing the box in her hand.

"Today is March 9th, your birthday."

She blinked in surprise.

"How did you know?"

He just winked slyly at her.

"Open it."

"I can't accept this, Salem."

"Yes you can," he answered indifferently. "Contrary to what you may think, you deserve every gift and good thing in the world, you just have shitty luck."

Kiruma almost cracked a smile. He didn't know the half of it.

She took the lid off of the box and peered at the contents with curiosity.

"I know you aren't really one for jewelry, but this is different, I promise," Salem assured her, lifting a bracelet out of the box. It was a small metal chain, grey on one side, gold on the other, with a single charm on it.

"A snowflake?" she questioned, meeting his eyes skeptically. His lips twitched upwards.

"It's made of ice," he informed her.

"Salem. I'm a fire user."

"It will never melt," he promised with a grin. "But it will shatter if I'm in trouble."

She held the tiny charm in her hands, wonder in her eyes. The ice wasn't cold, but it was smooth and slippery to the touch. He took it from her and carefully looped the grey and gold chain around her wrist, over the bandages that adorned her fingers.

"It's like a mixture of our eyes, isn't it?" he observed with a crooked smile. She looked at the gold and grey links and then met his eyes. They were exactly the same shade.

"And I have a matching one that works in case you get hurt." He held up his wrist where a flame shaped charm adorned his own bracelet.

"Salem…"

"Happy birthday, Red. You kind of struck me as the kind of person that didn't celebrate their birthday, but everyone deserves something."

He placed his hand on top of hers and she sat, allowing his contact willingly for the first time in her life. Eventually the moment passed and she pulled her fingers from his, causing him to withdraw his hand without complaint.

"Thank you," she breathed, so quietly he barely heard. It could have been a simple sigh, but with his heightened canine senses, Salem wasn't one to miss anything she said, no matter how quietly it was uttered.

He smirked.

"Let's get that mission report turned in. You know what starts tomorrow, right?"

"Real training."

He nodded.

"Here's where we really get tested… Red, will you promise me something?"

"Another promise?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow. The last one had earned her the beating of a lifetime.

He nodded.

"Promise me you won't change. Don't let them take away who you are."

Her lips twitched in half of a smirk.

"They wouldn't be able to if they tried," she lied, feeling dread curl in her stomach. All they had to use was water. Her phobia of water would drive her insane, and she had a sinking feeling that even if Danzo didn't know now, he would soon.

"I'm going to say goodbye to my mother," she said softly, heading upstairs.

"Red? I thought you said your family was out…" Salem followed her slowly, golden eyes slanted in confusion.

She didn't answer, but slowly pushed open the door, revealing her mother sitting on the bed, looking out the window with a hint of light in her eyes.

"Ka-chan?" Her mother's head slowly turned towards her at the sound of her voice.

"I have something to tell you," Kiruma said softly, crossing the room and kneeling in front of her mother.

Salem stood in the hallway, hesitating.

Kiruma took her mother's hand.

"I'm going to have to leave for a while, okay? Do you understand?"

Her mother stared at her for a moment, before she blinked hesitantly.

"Leave?" she repeated, confusion in her soft voice.

"Yes, leave. I have to work, and this time it will be a long time before I can come back."

Her mother was quiet, but worry was beginning to etch itself into her usually lax features.

"Don't leave, Kiru…chan."

"I'll come back as soon as I can, Ka-chan. I promise, and we can start to be a real family again, okay? But for now, this is a trip I have to take, so that they don't take me away."

"Don't… leave, Kiru-chan," her mother repeated, eyes locking with her daughters with an almost feverishly intense gaze.

"I have to, Ka-chan," Kiruma whispered, her heart breaking at her mother's pleading tone. "I'm sorry."

"Kiru-chan…" her mother was watching her, and this time could actually see her. A tear fell from the corner of her mother's eye. Kiruma gently wiped it away and hugged her mother tightly.

"Goodbye, Ka-chan. I love you." Kiruma felt hesitant hands return the embrace, and warmth spread through her. Things were getting better. Things were getting so much better.

She released her mother and kissed her on the cheek before turning and leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

Salem just stared at her, his expression unreadable. She walked past him down the stairs.

"Your mother…" he trailed off, unsure of how to ask what he wanted to know without sounding rude.

"She's in shock," Kiruma stated calmly. "She's been like that since the accident."

"Accident?" he questioned. She just shook her head.

"Nothing," she assured him, eyes downcast. "I have the report, let's go turn it in.**  
**

**Disclaimer: I clearly do not own Naruto.**

**Author's Note: Happy Birthday, Kiruma. She deserved a break. And we have reached the point where Kakashi and Kiruma do not hate each other, which is definitely a good thing. Warning, the next chapter gets a little rough, don't hate me please ): Kiruma's a strong girl, she can handle it. **

**Update: I will be in California on March 3, the next update day. For that reason, I will post Chapter 10 early, on this coming Wednesday, (February 26) but keep in mind that I will still be on a brief hiatus after to catch up on my writing. I will let you know the return date when Chapter 10 goes up. **

**Please review, your feedback last chapter made my week wonderful. **


	10. The Evaluation

Chapter 10 – The Evaluation

"Get in line."

Danzo's voice was cold and unforgiving. He paced in front of all ten recruits, sizing them up. Inari and Sousuke had been less than pleased to learn of Kiruma's survival, and Salem was one slip up away from killing them, once he'd finally managed to force Kiruma to tell him what happened. He still wasn't happy she had let herself get beaten as a loophole in their promise, but that would have to wait. Today they all had to focus, personal issues aside.

Danzo cleared his throat before speaking.

"Let me make this clear. Today is not the beginning of your training regime. Today is the beginning of your evaluation. You were each selected as having a hint of potential, that perhaps I could mold you into what I look for in my personal ANBU guards, but now you must prove my efforts were not a waste. I will place you where you belong, whether under the Hokage's command or my own. If you do not prove yourself enough for either position, I will erase your memories and kick you out of this organization permanently. Are we clear?"

"Hai!"

"Good. Inuzuka Salem, you're up first."

Salem stiffened, meeting her eyes. She gave him a nod.

_You can do it._

His lips twitched upward in a nervous smile and he stepped forward, following Danzo out of the room.

There was a tense silence. Apollo paced back and forth at Kiruma's heels. Now that he was back at her side, she felt slightly more at ease. To calm her nerves, she sat cross legged on the floor and started to play with fire in her hands. Little flickers lit at the tips of her fingers and she moved her hands with them, slowly letting them roll and dance in her hand. She twisted the flames into a rope, tied it into a knot, and slowly let it extinguish itself, examining her hands. They were bright red, but no blisters this time. She pulled a roll of bandages out and cut off the old ones around her wrists, which fell to the ground blackened and smoking. She rewrapped her hands and forearm with a quiet sigh. She really needed to get her hands on some fireproof gloves or something.

"Nice to see you alive and kicking," Sousuke called, walking over to her with his arms crossed. She glanced up at him warily.

"Wish I could say the same," she answered coolly, "But you and your partner are a pain in the ass."

Inari shot her a glare as a couple of the other recruits chuckled.

"Watch your mouth, Pyro," she hissed. Kiruma got to her feet, completely fed up with this innocent facade that hid her satanic personality. There was nothing holding her back now. No more promises.

"Scared of a little fire, Pigtails?" Kiruma asked silkily as she walked over to Inari, gently touching the girl's long brown hair and sliding it through her fingers.

"You know, I used to grow my hair long and beautiful like this," Kiruma whispered, her voice little more than a quiet hiss. Inari stood rooted to the spot, glaring defiantly at Kiruma, though her hands were shaking slightly.

"But you know what I realized?" Kiruma leaned in so that her lips were directly at Inari's ear.

"Hair burns much _much _too easily." Kiruma snapped her fingers and a flicker ran up her hand. Inari jerked away, stumbling back as fast as she could.

"Stay away from me, you freak!"

"Then don't pick fights with better fighters than you," Kiruma returned calmly, though her voice was sharper than a razor blade. Sousuke took a step towards her, but Apollo snarled fiercely at him, fur standing on end.

"And you," she turned on Sousuke, her voice sickeningly sweet. "Haven't you had enough fun playing with little girls?"

His face drained of color.

"Shut up," he growled, but his voice wasn't nearly as confident.

"You got me kicked out once-"

"And you _deserved _it." Kiruma crossed her arms but froze as she heard the door open. Salem walked out slowly, eyes low, with Danzo behind him.

"Next," Danzo ordered, motioning to another recruit.

"Salem?" Kiruma questioned quietly, approaching her partner. She touched his shoulder and he flinched slightly.

His face was pale, teeth clenched, and he was shaking uncontrollably. She didn't see any physical damage, but his gold eyes were wide and unseeing. He tried to take a step forward and his knees buckled.

"Salem!" He fell into her and she struggled to hold him up, eventually settling for kneeling with his head resting in her lap.

His gaze slowly shifted to her, and she gently pushed his blue hair from his eyes.

"Red?" he asked finally, his breath coming in short gasps.

She nodded, watching him warily.

"Oh, Kami, Red, you're alive." He sat up and grabbed her around the waist, catching her by surprise as he pulled her tight to him, squeezing the air from her lungs.

"Kiruma, you have to quit. Quit before he calls you to go in there," his voice was low and urgent, his eyes closed tightly as he buried his head in her lap.

"Salem, calm down," she answered automatically, though seeing his state had scared her more than she'd like to admit. And he'd called her by her real name. He _never_ called her Kiruma.

"Quit. Just do it, trust me."

"I'm not going to quit."

By now some of the other recruits looked like they were going to be sick. Half of them were watching Salem, while the rest were murmuring nervously amongst themselves.

"Come on, stand up," Kiruma urged, jamming her shoulder under his arm and pulling him to his feet. He refused to release her until she literally pried his arms from around her waist.

She scowled as what he said sank in.

_You're alive. _Which meant that Danzo had somehow tricked him into thinking she was dead. Which meant that his one weakness, or at least a major one, was losing her. She was important to him, and the final thing she realized, as the snowflake around her wrist gleamed in the dim lighting, was that Salem didn't consider her just his partner. Salem loved her.

* * *

"Koizumi Kiruma, please follow me."

"Hai."

Three recruits had quit, unable to take seeing their fellow comrades come out babbling nonsense, terrified, or not recognizing anyone. Danzo had already seen fit to wipe the memories of two of them, which broke the hearts of their partners when they weren't recognized upon coming out. Salem had repeatedly told her to quit, even once he somewhat calmed down, but Kiruma wasn't backing out. She wasn't weak. And she certainly, no matter the cost, would not lose to Danzo. So here she was, out of the final three remaining, following the head of Black Ops into whatever room lie in wait.

She felt Salem's eyes boring into her back, but she didn't say anything. For his sake, she raised her arm with the bracelet and offered a wave without turning around. He would know if she was in real trouble, at least, if the charms worked.

The door slammed behind her with a bang.

She was surrounded by darkness. A hand grabbed her from behind and she whirled around, filling her hand with fire and slamming it into her mystery opponent. Her light revealed a surprised and now burning Kurenai.

_It's not real._

She drew one of her swords and in a flash sank it into her fake friend's chest, where Kurenai fell to the floor, coughing and gasping.

_She would have dodged that if it was really her._

"Don't be so hasty, Koizumi." Danzo's voice seemed to reverberate around the room.

"Yes, sir." She kept her voice clipped and short.

"Retrieve the scroll. That is your mission."

"Yes, sir."

Light suddenly flooded the room, making her squint as her eyes were forced to adjust. She was in a giant metal warehouse, with no windows, and only a single mirror, which she was sure other ANBU officials were watching through from the other side.

Danzo was standing a few feet to her left, hands resting on his cane.

The room was empty save for the two of them, and she wondered briefly how she was meant to find the scroll he mentioned.

"As you know, Black Ops is not a joke, Koizumi Kiruma." Danzo rested a gentle hand on her head, which she jerked away from. Bowing in respect was one thing, but friendly gestures…

"You seem to be under the impression that you are capable of anything. How incredible it must be to be in Black Ops at age six." He was mocking her, and they both knew it.

_I'm seven now._

Her grey eyes followed him warily as he slowly walked behind her.

"You prepared yourself well for this test. There is no one you truly love."

He paused, daring her to challenge him. She said nothing.

"However, everyone has a breaking point."

"…and you have that all figured out, don't you?" she hissed finally, glaring at him through the slits of her mask.

"Perhaps. We shall see shortly." Tension built in her gut at the amused and ice cold undertone in his voice. Dread curled like a snake in her gut. Something was coming, and she wasn't going to like it.

"Let's get this over with," she growled, taking a fighting stance and drawing her second blade, taking the first of several stances Kendo-sensei drilled into her.

Danzo's lips twitched upwards.

"As you wish."

There was a puff of smoke, and Danzo was gone. She turned in a full circle, scanning her empty surroundings. Fog began to pour into the room and she closed her eyes, knowing sight would be useless.

"Red?"

Her eyes snapped open at the familiar voice. Salem was standing in front of her, twirling a scroll between his hands. She darted forward in a flash, first blade passing clean through his neck. Best to end the fight before it started. Shinobi spent way too much time talking in their battles. She wouldn't make that mistake. He melted into the fog. A clone. Another Salem appeared.

"You're going to have to do better than that, Red," he teased, grinning. He flashed forward towards her face and she barely dodged, his hand knocking her mask clean off her face. The porcelain edge scratched her face as it was sideswiped, leaving a cut in her cheek as it clattered to the floor.

He waved the scroll in front of her face teasingly and she sucked in a deep breath, gathering chakra and blowing white flames from her mouth in an inferno that blew away the fog and the clone. Another clone appeared behind her.

"Impressive, impressive," Salem teased sarcastically.

She attacked him and he began to dodge, sneaking in counterattacks the same way he always did when they trained. She feinted toward his side and swiped her left blade towards his ankles. He jumped, but barely cleared it. Her katana grazed his ankle, drawing a line of blood. They sparred for what seemed like hours, dealing heavy blows on both ends.

Finally Kiruma threw her blade into the air, grabbed him around the neck, and slammed his body into the ground, making cracks appear in the concrete. He grinned a horribly garbled smile and latched onto her hand, making ice creep up her arm. She raised her temperature, causing it to evaporate immediately and caught her sword as it came down, sheathing it and pressing her first blade against his neck.

_How can they mimic his abilities?_

She slammed the hilt of her sword into his face, hoping he would pop out of existence like the other clones, but instead fresh blood gushed from his nose.

_Oh, Kami. _Disgust curled in her stomach.

Through the blood, his smile widened, revealing newly bloodied teeth.

"You want your scroll, Red?" he rasped, voice gurgling. Before she could stop him he ripped the scroll from his belt and shoved it down his throat, swallowing with a sickening gulp.

"Come and get it," he challenged, gold eyes glinting. Her eyes narrowed at the implication in his words. She released him, recoiling backwards, and he lunged towards her, his entire front dripping with blood.

He threw his hands forward and giant sheets of ice flew from his hands, all of which she dodged, turning and twisting out of the way as they flew into the walls. A rope of ice sprung around her and she grabbed it and focused, lighting up her hands with bright fire. It released her immediately and she steeled herself. He tackled her to the ground, trying to strangle her with hands that were slick with his own blood.

_It's not Salem. This isn't the rumored fight to the death between partners. It's much too early. It is _not _Salem. _He sat on top of her and grinned, lifting her chin daintily with a bloody finger.

"It seems the scroll wasn't what I was really hungry for," he teased, grinning his wolfish smile.

The snowflake around her wrist caught her eye and she swallowed the lump in her throat.

_The real Salem made it through his exam. _She wasn't about to let him beat her now.

She lunged towards the blue haired copy of her first friend, forcing him off of her and sending a wall of fire at him to deflect any missiles of ice. She focused her chakra into her hand, until her fingers were glowing red hot, and with sickening revulsion plunged her hand through the fake Salem's stomach.

The scream he let out was bloodcurdling and ungodly.

Through the blood and organs, Kiruma felt the scroll, and she ripped her hand out, face deathly pale and specked with blood.

Salem's eyes widened, staring at her with hurt betrayal, and she almost fainted at the sight of his flesh and blood in her hand, some of which freely dangled from the scroll.

"You're fake," she whispered roughly. "And I don't love anyone."

He fell to his knees, and then her heart lurched as insane laughter bubbled out of his chest.

"You're dead, Kiruma," he gurgled. He fell forward, face planting into the cement and she looked at the mirror expectantly, waiting for Danzo to appear. Her hands were shaking, breath short and coming in gasps. The organs slipped from her fingers and she gagged, but didn't release the scroll.

Then suddenly, all the ice in the room from fake Salem's attacks began to crack. Her head turned slowly, watching the giant sheets of ice with dawning horror.

_Danzo, you bastard…_

As soon as fake Salem disappeared in a puff of smoke, all the ice in the room melted, and a giant wave of freezing water crashed toward her.

* * *

There was no escape. There had been too much ice in the room to dodge it, and Kiruma was rooted to the spot, her mind going utterly blank with terror. In the split second that counted, she took an instant too long to gather chakra, and just as the wisps of a flame were gathering, the wave hit her and completely extinguished it. Water surrounded her on all sides, tearing her back and forth until she didn't know left from right, or top from bottom.

After that, there was nothing Kiruma could do but scream.

Her body reacted to terror as it always had. Blood-red flames shot out from her body, extinguished at first by the onslaught of water, but it wasn't enough. It was completely quenched the moment the first flame appeared.

_I'm drowning. Dying. Help. Someone. Kill me. Please. Kill me. Help! KILL ME!_

Reckless thoughts flew through her head as she writhed in the water, completely submerged in the icy claws of the wave.

As the threat of actually drowning registered in Kiruma's body, bright red fire exploded from her form and turned the water boiling hot. It slowly began to evaporate, but not before the hot water caused angry burns to appear all around Kiruma's body. She thrashed in the water, panic setting in, and from thereon, her thoughts were a haze. Red fire engulfed the room, searing everything in its path, and after a full minute at the most, Kiruma was lying, soaked and gasping on the now dry concrete floor of the warehouse. Steam surrounded her from evaporated water, and flickers of red flame slowly began to die out. She was twitching uncontrollably, curled in the fetal position on the ground, but the scroll was still clenched in her fingers, the outer covering blackened but intact. The fire had raced up the walls, popped all the lightbulbs, and shattered the mirror, revealing several ANBU officials and Danzo on the other side, watching with unamused disdain.

She struggled to her feet, still twitching, and wordlessly approached Danzo, trying to steady her voice.

"Here's your fucking scroll," she muttered, dropping it in his outstretched hand. "…Sir."

He gave a long sigh.

"How disappointing," he sighed. "I had high hopes for you, child. You may return."

_Bastard. _

She gave a stiff nod. He wasn't erasing her memories, so that left one option. She would be working directly under the Hokage. She couldn't say she was really upset. More relieved. But her mind was still traumatized and… unstable.

She walked down the short hallway, opening the door wearily. Her movements were jerky and uncoordinated, her mind unable to properly deliver commands. Upon reaching the room she began in, Salem immediately grabbed her by the shoulders, having been waiting anxiously from the other side.

"Red! Do you know who I am?"

"Get off of me, Salem," she said quietly, putting all of her strength into keeping her voice steady. He sighed in relief, holding her tighter.

"You terrified me," he growled, holding up his charm. A small crack had run through the center of the flame pattern.

She gently pried his hands off of her and kept walking, feeling the gazes of the other recruits follow her curiously to see how she had turned out. She couldn't bring herself to care. Her hands were still twitching slightly.

"Sorry," she answered Salem hollowly without looking at him.

"…Red?" His voice was surprised and confused. She had never apologized to him before. She never apologized to anyone.

She pushed open the door to leave, images of Salem's flesh in her hand and water crashing down on her flying through her head.

"Did they break her?" she overheard Inari whisper to Sousuke a she was about to pass them by.

"She's in terrible shape," Sousuke answered in a muted tone. "Look at those burns. And she's soaked."

"Serves that freak pyro right," Inari muttered.

That last line was Kiruma's final straw.

In a flash, Kiruma grabbed Inari and slammed her into the ground, the exact same way Sousuke had to her. She roughly pinned the surprised recruit down, her hand slowly choking the air out of the brunette's lungs as her fingers clenched around Inari's neck.

"Call me a freak," Kiruma hissed. "One. More. _Fucking_. Time."

Inari's eyes widened to the size of saucers as a tiny gasp escaped her throat.

"You know nothing, _nothing, _about me, so if you say one more word, I swear to Kami, I will kill you and your partner before you can blink." Kiruma's hand tightened and Inari flinched, eyes filled with terror.

"Are. We. _Clear_?"

Inari nodded, eyes beginning to water. Kiruma released her and Inari coughed and gagged, gasping and heaving for air on all fours.

She turned and glared at the few recruits left.

"Does anyone else have something they want to say?" she challenged, eyes deadly. She was fed up. Done. She had been through _hell _from Day 1, and she was done putting up with people making her life miserable.

"Kiruma… calm down." Kiruma's eyes turned to Salem, ash grey meeting gold.

"Don't call me that."

It was still hard to look at him without imagining her hand imbedded in his stomach. She turned away, walking towards the door with her hands shoved in her pockets to keep the others from seeing how badly she was shaken.

What a joke. To be known as the fire user who was afraid of water, afraid to get a little wet in battle. Furious and humiliated, she rounded on the wall and slammed her fist into it with enough force to send cracks running through the reinforced rock. It was glowing red and smoking when she pulled her arm free. She met Salem's worried eyes but couldn't hold his stare. She broke her gaze from his and vanished out the door, running full speed to the only place she could think of to go.

* * *

"Kiruma-chan? You're here early for training."

"I'm out of practice," she lied hollowly. Kendo-sensei frowned.

"Rough day at work, I suppose?"

She didn't answer.

"You've got quite a few burns there. I suppose you've been practicing fire control?"

She just nodded miserably.

Apollo whined and licked her hand, tail drooping as it had since she had finished her evaluation.

"Kiruma-chan, come sit down."

"I'm here to train."

"I wasn't asking."

She reluctantly took a seat, and stared at her sensei, eyes flashing.

"I think you should tell me what is really going on."

"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow.

"I know you're hiding something, Kiruma-chan. I think it's time we trusted one another."

"You're criticizing me on keeping secrets?" she questioned, her voice skeptical. "That's pretty rich coming from you, _Jiraiya-sensei._"

He chuckled good-naturedly. "I see you've figured me out."

"I'm not an idiot."

Jiraiya leaned back, eyeing her warily.

"No you're not. But you're still a child, Kiruma-chan. It's okay for things to be too hard every once in a while."

"I'm not a child," she replied curtly.

"You're seven years old," he calmly answered. "If you saw yourself as others see you-"

"What do others see me as, Sensei?" she cut him off, glaring at him coldly. "A demon? An out of control fire user? A spoiled brat?

"A child with a disturbingly mature personality. You've grown up too fast, Kiruma-chan."

"That's not for you to decide." She met his eyes evenly, daring him to deny her. It had been a mistake to come here. Why had she come? Had she hoped that this man she hadn't even known the identity of until recently, could possibly make her feel better? Even help her overcome her fear? Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.

She stood abruptly and he watched her with sad eyes.

"My family is expecting me," she lied, turning to leave.

"And what does your family think of all this?" Jiraiya questioned seriously. "Do they not worry when you come home injured?"

She just slowly walked away, calling Apollo to her side, eyes shadowed.

"That's really none of your business, Sensei." She had been using that line a lot recently.

_Keep to yourself, Kiruma. Your problems are your problems, no one else's, and everyone has them. Deal with them. _

She didn't know why she thought going there would help. Maybe because he was known as a legendary Sannin, and her world felt like it needed a legend to make things well again.

She recalled her father's multiple attempts to drown her as a child, shuddering at the memories. She'd always believed that was the root of her phobia, though she'd never told her mother or Yuuko after these episodes. He would fill the bath for her, kindly tell her to go under so he could rinse her hair, then abruptly hold her to the bottom until she managed to rip out the plug amidst her thrashing.

Then it was swimming, when he would play 'hold your breath' in the river, but would tie her under the surface, despite her desperate attempts to escape. Each time an extremely close call, to the point where even rain made her flinch.

"Yo."

A familiar voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She blinked at the familiar figure before her.

"Hatake."

He blinked.

"No Scarecrow? We must be on better terms than I thought."

She didn't smile. She just stared, gaze empty.

"I heard ANBU evaluations were today," he droned conversationally.

"That's classified."

He raised an eyebrow, unused to her quoting the rules when all he'd seen was her breaking and disregarding them.

"They really pulled something on you, didn't they?"

Kiruma didn't know why she couldn't lie anymore at that point. Maybe she was just too tired, or too empty to care, or actually desperately needed to not block someone out of her world, but for some reason, rather than denying him, she gave a weary nod.

"I ripped the stomach out of my partner," she answered emptily. "I stabbed and burned a kunoichi to death." She met Kakashi's eyes, her voice flat. "But I passed. Hooray." She left the hydrophobia out of it.

He blinked.

"Sounds pretty rough."

She almost snorted. He didn't know the half of it.

He paused, not pressing for information.

"Someone was looking for you at the Chuunin Exams. I assume he found you?"

She recalled her brief conversation with Yuuko.

"Mm."

There was a silence.

"Ne, Koizumi."

She glanced at him. His hands were shoved in his pockets, expression bored as usual, though there was a hint of genuine concern in his dark eyes.

"Want to talk about it?" He wasn't mocking her, which sparked her curiosity. Ever since their last encounter, there had been a strange sense of… acceptance between the two. However if he really was sincere, this seemed like more of an approach towards something akin to friendship.

Her lips twitched.

"That's against the rules, Scarecrow. It's unlike you." She tried to make her voice condescending, but it came out hollow.

He started in surprise, dark eyes widening.

"Oh. I didn't think of it that way."

"Thanks anyways." Her voice was sincere. "But I can deal with it."

_Like usual._

He nodded politely and she turned and walked back to headquarters to get assigned to her place under the Hokage.

"Koizumi," he called seriously. She paused, shooting him a curious glance.

"I intend to join Black Ops eventually, so you won't be surpassing me for long."

"I don't doubt it," she answered calmly.

"So technically, say you did need someone to talk to… it wouldn't quite be against the rules."

She blinked slowly, a warm feeling growing in her chest.

"…I'll remember that."

And so began a strange comradeship between Hatake Kakashi and Koizumi Kiruma. Not quite friends, but no longer enemies, and strangely, she was okay with that. And stranger still, somehow, he had managed to make her feel better.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Author's Note: I didn't want to leave with a cliffhanger, so there's that. I'm sorry for not updating Wednesday, personal issues interfered. Authors going on hiatus is my personal pet peeve, so as a compromise, I will be returning on April 7. That is my definite promise that I am not giving up on this story, so long as you want me to continue. I just need some time to write and edit to keep up the quality of my chapters. Please Review! **


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